Had Gaylord Anton Nelson not died in 2005, I’m sure he would have enjoyed Madison more now than ever. He would walk down Charter Street and marvel at the new natural gas plant that replaced coal, make his way to the Union and quench his thirst without the taste of phosphorous, and after lunch he doesn’t have to decide what to put into the recycle bin, because there isn’t one. I’m sure he would be so proud, he would walk up to the Capitol and shake Scott Walker’s hand.
I am of course being facetious. Gaylord Nelson is a famous Wisconsin politician who was able to balance economics and environment; Scott Walker is not.
This Friday is Earth Day, and in the progressive spirit of Nelson I would like to point out certain policy decisions that uproot the precedent he started here in Wisconsin.
Let us begin with the power plant on Charter Street. It was supposed to be biomass competent, and instead Walker changed the plan to burn only natural gas. Congratulations, you met federal environmental emission standards, applause. The plan was to save the state money, and I’m sure that money will be used to invest in job creation as Walker sees fit.
But, wouldn’t the biofuel have come from the states’ farmers and foresters, creating jobs and ushering us to the path of green technology? Is natural gas even sustainable? As with coal, it’s not and will eventually run out.
Does Wisconsin even have enough natural gas, other than when we eat beer and brats all day at German Fest? The people at Wisconsin Public Service say Wisconsin doesn’t produce any of its own natural gas. That means the state has to pay to import it. So instead of being environmentally progressive, we’re just going to pay little and pollute just slightly less.
Let us look at a more recent policy of Walker’s that cuts funding to counties’ recycling programs in the middle of a fiscal year: The state plans to cut $13 million from its recycling budget starting June 1.
Does this make any sense when it costs money to put trash in a landfill? All the while, it is cheaper to produce reused goods than fabricate products from raw ores that have to be mined at an environmental cost.
Landfills are only a temporary solution. You can only sweep your garbage under the rug until your rug is a mountain messing with the feng shui of the living room.
Those in charge have the same fears. “Recycling managers are concerned that cuts to recycling programs would lead residents to illegally discard recyclables with their regular trash. That would mean higher garbage disposal costs and harm to the environment,” as reported in the Wisconsin Journal Sentinel.
The most detrimental policy, though, is the deregulation of phosphorous dumping into Wisconsin’s waters. The plan is not only for phosphorous either. “Walker also wants to relax regulations affecting runoff pollution – manure, dirt, fertilizer and the oily grime of urban streets. Runoff pollution is considered Wisconsin’s leading source of water quality problems,” also as the Journal Sentinel reports.
Again, this policy is done in the name of saving the state money by relieving strain on municipalities. But I’m sure the Koch brothers’ Georgia Pacific paper plant wouldn’t mind either, as they are one of the largest releasers of phosphorous into the lower Fox River.
To those conservatives who think I’m a raging tree-hugger and say, “Who cares? No one died from eating a little shit with their drinking water, it’ll put hair on your chest,” first, I ask: When was the last time you had shit in your mouth, besides when you talk? And no it won’t put hair on my chest, only tumors.
Manure in our water won’t be good. “Infants less than six months are most susceptible to nitrate poisoning. High nitrate levels in groundwater can reduce the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen, causing a fatal condition in infants called blue baby syndrome,” according to WDNR.
I enjoy looking at the newest mutant fish as much as the next American, but I think deregulating the dumping of chemicals into our lakes and rivers to save money is foolish. When I eat fish I want it looking at me with two eyes instead of three.
On Earth Day, I implore you to enjoy it in such a manner that respects the concept. Weather permitting, run down our Lakeshore path, breath the fresh air, lay in the grass, drink bottled water and recycle it. Don’t take for granted what this state has to offer because I’m sure Gaylord Nelson is going to be rolling in his grave over these new policies. Well, if they haven’t used the space for a landfill, that is.
Cruz Ramirez ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in English.