One of the biggest winning outcomes from the election in Wisconsin was the environment! All of the statewide races were won by pro-environment candidates and in Oneida County, we won the mining referendum. That is because of the tireless efforts of countless volunteers including many, many Sierra Club members that helped register voters and turn out folks to the polls. The John Muir Chapter was particularly active in the 1st, 5th, 17th and 19th state Senate districts. Thank you for voting, and all the other hard work you did during the election!
However, the November 6 election was not all roses. It showed us once again the effect of gerrymandering districts in Wisconsin. At the same time that environmental candidates won all the statewide elections; we lost one state Senate seat held by an environmental candidate.
The environment was a big winner for three reasons. First, with Tony Evers as our new Governor we know that we will see a stop to the environmental onslaught of the last eight years. We can once again look forward instead of just trying to protect what we have. Environmental decisions will be made on scientific grounds and not greed. The rights of all will be respected and protected and not just those of wealthy campaign contributors and the privileged few. Provided the current legislature does not carry out its threat to curtail the powers of the Governor before they leave.
The second win for Wisconsin’s environment was the election of Josh Kaul as Attorney General. This means there will be no more tortured legal opinions that inappropriately undercut the ability of the Department of Natural Resources to do its job. Outgoing AG Schimels’ opinion on high capacity wells did exactly that. It also means that our environmental laws will be enforced. This will help protect human health and our environment.
Finally, while Wisconsin’s congressional delegation did not change, the House of Representatives did. This means we no longer have the threat of cuts to EPA or the Great Lakes, or bills that would undermine the Endangered Species Act and or other important federal environmental laws.
At the John Muir Chapter we look forward to continuing to work with you to build on these successes.