Miranda Ehrlich, 612-998-2758, miranda.ehrlich@sierraclub.org
Milwaukee, WI -- On Thursday, the Sierra Club will be hosting a press conference in support of a Milwaukee County Board resolution calling on the DNR to reject We Energies’ request for a mercury variance in their discharge water. The proposed variance in the DNR’s draft permit would currently allow We Energies to discharge water tainted with mercury at three times the state standard into Lake Michigan. Mercury is a well-known neurotoxin that has harmful effects on nervous systems, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and other parts of the body. The resolution is sponsored by Supervisors Steven Shea, Patti Logsdon, Willie Johnson Jr., Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, and Deanna Alexander. The Intergovernmental Relations Committee unanimously recommended that the full County Board adopt the resolution.
What: Press conference on County Board Resolution in opposition to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) granting a mercury effluent discharge variance to We Energies’ Oak Creek power plant. After the press conference, the Milwaukee County Board will convene their monthly meeting, which will include a vote on the resolution.
When: Thursday, April 25th, 9:00 a.m.
Where: Milwaukee County Courthouse, 901 N. 9th St., Room 201. Milwaukee, WI, 53233.
Who: Supervisor Steven Shea, Supervisor Sylvia Ortiz-Velez, and concerned residents of Milwaukee County. Other supervisors and leaders invited; full speakers list to be determined.
Background: In December, We Energies requested a mercury variance up to three times the state standard in their updated water discharge permit for their Elm Road-Oak Creek coal facility. In February, the Wisconsin DNR held a hearing to gather public comments on the proposed permit. Over 150 people attended the hearing and expressed opposition against several provisions of the draft permit, including the mercury variance. The permit as written would also allow We Energies to continue a dirty, outdated process for treating coal ash until 2023, the latest possible date under federal EPA rules. 100 percent of the spoken comments at the hearing were in opposition to the permit as written.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.