Industry Claims DNR
Regulatory Reform Off-Track
Industry and
economic development groups argued at an Oct. 18 legislative hearing
that DNR’s efforts to implement permit streamlining efforts are
falling well short of the Jobs Creation Act promises. The Assembly
Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Scott Gunderson (R-Waterford),
Chair, heard testimony on DNR’s rule to exempt small sources for air
permit requirements.
Scott Manley, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce,
summarized WMC’s
comments provided DNR during the hearings phase of the permit
exemption rule. Pat
Osborne, on behalf of the Aggregate Producers of
Wisconsin, and Bob
Fassbender, for the Wisconsin Economic Development
Association, emphasized the how air permitting approvals for
smaller sources often delay projects without advancing any
corresponding environmental policy objectives.
All testified over
general concerns that despite approaching three years since the
enactment of the Jobs Creation Act (2003 Wis. Act
118), little progress has been made to relieve unnecessary
permitting burdens on businesses wishing to expand or locate in
Wisconsin. (See Hamilton Consulting Group's Jobs
Creation Act Summary).
Milwaukee Receives “D” in Disaster Evacuation
Study
The City of Milwaukee’s disaster evacuation
preparedness nearly failed in a recent study released by the American Highway Users
Alliance.
The majority of America's urban areas received a
failing grade on their ability to evacuate citizens in the event of
a disaster, according to the study. It graded 37 of the largest
urban areas in the country with more than 1 million people, and
found that 25 would have greater problems evacuating their citizens
than New Orleans did during Hurricane Katrina. The areas failed on
three criteria - internal traffic flow, capacity of major exit
routes and accessibility to automobile transportation. Click
here for full report
Wisconsin Ranks 38th in the 2007
State Business Tax
Climate Index
The State
Business Tax Climate Index (SBTCI) ranks how “business friendly”
the 50 state tax systems are, providing a roadmap for state
lawmakers concerned with keeping their states tax competitive.
Wisconsin’s overall rank is 38th.
The SBTCI is designed to measure the
competitiveness of each state’s tax system so lawmakers, the media
and the public alike can gauge how their state compares to other
states. They can also use the SBTCI to pinpoint specific changes
that will increase the competitive standing of their
state.
The SBTCI rewards those states that apply these
principles in five important areas of Taxation (with Wisconsin’s
ranking in parentheses): individual income taxes (42nd);
corporate tax (32nd); sales tax (27th);
unemployment insurance tax (28th); and property tax
(30th).
Committee Has Begun Discussion of Applicability
of Open Meetings Laws to Quasi-Governmental Bodies
The
Special Legislative Council Committee, which is addressing the
applicability and advisability of applying open meetings
requirements to quasi-governmental (particularly economic
development) organizations, began its deliberations on Wednesday,
October 18.
A trial court judge ruled earlier this year that
the law did not apply to the Beaver Dam Area Development
Corporation, dismissing an action commenced by the Attorney General.
The Attorney General is, however, appealing that ruling and has
consistently opined that the law either does or should apply to
quasi-governmental bodies.
There is consensus among committee members that a
clarification of the law is desired. Committee Chair, Sen. Scott
Fitzgerald, has urged the committee to focus initially on economic
development corporations that have a common purpose rather than
attempting to address the universe of quasi-governmental
entities.
Economic development proponents argue that
confidentiality is essential to business expansion and location
decisions and that economic development corporations do not have
authority to bind local governmental bodies. Open Meetings/Open
Records advocates, on the other hand, believe that public
accountability requires application of the open meetings and open
records laws to all bodies that may include a public member or
receive public financial support.
The committee will continue its deliberations next
month, although the meeting date has not yet been set. (Legislative
Council Special Study Committees)
Appeals Court Upholds DNR Pier
Authority
The District IV Court
of Appeals reaffirmed the Wisconsin Department of Natural
Resources' (DNR) statutory authority to enforce the law against
violations of pier standards in navigable waters – regardless of who
reports the violations.
The DNR rule in question provides for DNR
enforcement of pier violations on complaints by citizens. The court
of appeals held that restricting DNR enforcement of violations on
the basis of citizen complaints would violate DNR's statutory duty
to enforce the law. The court of appeals reversed the circuit court
and reinstated DNR's enforcement case.
Hospitals Serve Community Health Needs
A new website launched by the Wisconsin Hospital Association (WHA) provides
information on services, programs and assistance that hospitals
offer at or below cost. According to a WHA
report [40 pgs., pdf], Wisconsin hospitals provided almost $160
million in charity care (at cost), and sustained more than $500
million in Medicaid losses. In addition, the 36 hospitals that
operate nursing homes lost over $15 million on those
operations.
The Hospital Association
said Wisconsin is the first state in the country to see 100-percent
participation from hospitals in voluntarily reporting community
health services and programs, along with quality and safety
data.
Upcoming Hearings
Legislative Council
Special Committee on Highway Weight Limits
Nov 13,
Legislative Council Conference Room, Suite 401, 1 E. Main St.,
Madison. Presentation by DOT staff relating to information requested
by the committee at the previous meeting, public testimony and
discussion of committee assignment.
Interested persons are invited to make specific
recommendations relating to changes in the current system in state
law relating to motor vehicle weight limits on state highways and
bridges to make it a more useable, efficient, fair, and economically
beneficial system, considering: (1) the physical impact of weight
limits on highway and bridge infrastructure (and the costs to the
state of that impact); (2) economic impacts of weight limits on
industry and trade: (3) truck configurations; (4) expected
compliance levels and enforcement constraints; and (5) related
operational and safety issues.
Legislative Council Special Committee on
Nuclear Power;
Nov 15, 411-S.
Invited presentations; regarding:
-
Electric power generation from coal combustion.
-
Carbon capture and sequestration.
-
Potential contribution of energy efficiency and renewable
resources to meeting energy demand.
-
Environmental impacts of electric power generation.
-
Long-term management of spent nuclear fuel; Yucca
Mountain.
Legislative Council Special Committee on
Disaster Preparedness Planning; Nov 16, Legislative Council
Conference Room, Suite 401, 1 E. Main St., Madison.
Testimony by invited speakers on disaster
preparedness planning issues, including interoperability of
communications equipment, best practices in disaster preparedness,
the ability of food to reach markets during disasters, continuity of
legislative operations and liability of responders.
For more
information on legislation of interest to CTCW members, go to the CTCW
Tracking Report. |
