WISCONSIN — Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul is preparing to ask Republican lawmakers next week to sign off on nearly $400,000 in settlements to resolve multiple pollution cases.
GOP legislators passed a law in 2018 just before Kaul took office that requires the attorney general to get permission from the Legislature's finance committee before entering into settlement agreements. Republicans control the committee.
Kaul is scheduled to bring nine proposed deals that would bring in $378,000 in payments to the state and local governments before the committee on Tuesday. According to state Justice Department documents, the cases include:
— A $45,000 settlement with the city of Elkhorn and its waterworks operator, Christopher Robers, for exceeding maximum radium and arsenic levels in the city's water system in 2019 and 2018.
— A $160,000 settlement with United Liquid Waste Recycling Inc., which is accused of failing to report two waste spills, spreading waste in prohibited areas and failing to file timely reports and maintain proper records.
— A $5,000 settlement with United Septic & Drain Services Inc. for allegedly failing to maintain septage service records.
— A $15,000 settlement with Keith Steinmez for allegedly hiring a contractor to fill 6.5 acres of wetlands on his property in Chippewa County.
— A $65,000 deal to resolve allegations that Emerald Sky Dairy LLC in St. Croix County failed to properly contain manure in 2019.
— A $15,000 settlement with Spring South LLC, Tom's Petroleum Construction LLC and RCT Petroleum for violating underground gas storage tank laws, specifically by tampering with leak detection systems, failing to perform tank integrity assessments and failing to report petroleum releases into the environment.
— A $25,000 settlement with Dale Randall, Randall Brothers LLC and Jade Excavation and Trucking LLC to resolve allegations that Randall hired Jade to illegally fill about 22.5 acres of wetlands on his Eau Claire County property.
— A $45,000 settlement with Blue Royal Farm Inc., a factory farm in Reedsville, to resolve allegations of improper feed storage.
