Allowing Green County to regulate the land application of manure. (FE)

What it would have done

Summary by the Legislative Reference Bureau, the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill allows Green County to enact and enforce an ordinance that regulates the land application of manure in all or parts of the county where the bedrock lies within 20 feet of the land's surface. The bill requires such an ordinance to be identical to any rule promulgated by the Department of Natural Resources that regulates manure application in areas with Silurian bedrock, except that the ordinance may apply regardless of whether Silurian bedrock is present. The bill exempts such an ordinance from the requirement under current law that DNR or DATCP determine, before a municipality enacts a local ordinance that regulates livestock operations and that exceeds the nonpoint performance standards for agricultural facilities set by DNR, that the ordinance is necessary to achieve water quality standards. Under current law, an agricultural facility in existence before October 14, 1997, is exempt from the nonpoint performance standards for agricultural facilities set by DNR unless cost-sharing is available to the owner or operator of the facility. This bill provides the same exemption to an ordinance enacted by Green County under the provisions of the bill.

The bill also requires DNR to include, in any Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit issued to a permittee to which the ordinance applies, a requirement that the permittee comply with the ordinance as a condition of the WPDES permit.

Who's behind it

2 senators are its authors⁠. All 2 are Democrats.

2 more lawmakers signed on in support⁠.