State of Change: Recent Episodes
Clean Wisconsin: your environmental voice since 1970
Wisconsin's environment is changing faster and more dramatically than anyone expected. But there's another kind of change happening, too. Around the state, there's a growing movement to try and stop the dangerous trends before it's too late. From Clean Wisconsin, this is State of Change, a podcast telling the stories of Wisconsin's rapidly changing environment and the people who are trying to do something about it.
Overwhelmed by the environmental problems we face? In this episode, how to use your knowledge and power - to find your happy place.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Sasha Stone, Green Life Trading Company, Zero Waste Madison
Resources for You:
The Defender Episode 35: Microplastics in Our Bodies - How Much do They Hurt Us?
Green Life Trading Co.
Find out more about Zero Waste Madison
Under the Lens: Microplastics and Our Bodies
It has never been easy to be a farmer. But these days, in the face of rising costs, tariffs, and consolidation, keeping a small farm in business seems next to impossible. But there is a way to survive, and it might just be the key to protecting our health, cleaning up our water, and saving our soil.
In this episode, Amy talks with Chaz Self from Grassway Organics about the future of farming, and where we all fit in. Plus, pizza!
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Chaz Self, Grassway Organics
Resources for You:
Nitrates on Tap: The Cost of Nitrate Contamination in Wisconsin's Drinking Water
Grassway Organics Pizza on the Farm
The Wisconsin Public Health Association recently adopted a resolution saying unregulated hyperscale data centers are a threat to public health in our state. In this episode, hear from one of the co-authors of that resolution to find out the health and energy consequences of data centers.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Kayla Rinderknecht, Community Health Manager, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Petition: Stop Unchecked AI Data Center Development
Clean Wisconsin Action Alerts
What does it take to get plastic out of your life? Well, unless you can go back in time 100 years, it's pretty much impossible. But what about some plastic? Just a place to start?
In this episode, we're talking about plastic waste in the grocery store and how to try to take control of the plastics that wind up in your shopping cart.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Brendon Smith, Marketing and Communications Director, Willy St. Co-op
Resources for You:
Plastic-Free July: 31 days of ideas
Microplastics in Our Bodies: Exposure and Potential Health Harms
While federal money props up old coal power plants in Wisconsin, the EPA is busy relaxing rules meant to keep coal's toxic pollution out of our air and water.
In this episode, what our nation's new commitment to old coal means for Wisconsin's water and for the regulations that are supposed to protect us.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Clean Wisconsin Attorney Evan Feinauer
Resources for You:
Wisconsinites May Soon Pay Higher Bills to Keep Coal Plants Open in Indiana
Wisconsin foots the bill for coal's last hurrah
Trump order to keep Michigan coal plant open will mean higher bills for Wisconsinites
Speak out against the Red Oak Ridge gas plant proposal
It's happening in every corner of Wisconsin—Cassville, Menomonie, Superior, Madison, La Crosse County, Dane County, Westport, Manitowoc County, Door County. Communities all over the state are passing moratoriums and ordinances aimed at stopping what a year ago seemed unstoppable: the unchecked flood of AI data centers into our state.
In this episode, who is pushing this avalanche of local action, and will it be enough to stem the environmental harms already unfolding because of AI data centers?
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Blaine Halverson, Community Organizer, Great Lakes Neighbors United
Resources for You:
Petition: Stop Unchecked AI Data Center Development
Great Lakes Neighbors United
Episode 74: The Truth About AI Data Centers and Our Water
Into Thin Air: How AI data center energy use harms our water resources
AI Data Centers will use more energy than all the homes in the state combined
Have we been sold a bill of goods about ethanol? In this episode, the toll ethanol is taking on our health right here in Wisconsin.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Sara Walling, Water & Agriculture Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
New Report: Nitrate Contamination Driving Health Crisis in Wisconsin
Proposal to increase E-15 would cause substantial harms in Wisconsin
Common Pesticides Used in Wisconsin and Potential Health Harms
Health Brief: Nitrates in Wisconsin's Drinking Water
In this episode, what the rain and snow are telling about PFAS pollution in the Upper Midwest—plus some information about new PFAS laws in Minnesota that could be a blueprint for Wisconsin.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Alexander Frie, Research and Fellowship Coordinator, Minnesota Sea Grant
Resources for you:
Amara's Law regulating PFAS in Products (Minnesota)
Episode 62: What to Know about PFAS in Pesticides
PFAS Contamination in Public and Private Wells in Wisconsin (Health Research Brief)
A circuit court judge is deciding whether permits issued by the state allowing Enbridge to build its Line 5 pipeline reroute in Wisconsin's Northwoods are legal. But in the meantime, he is allowing work on the new Line 5 to continue -- except in a few key places.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Evan Feinauer, Clean Wisconsin Attorney
Resources for You:
Wisconsin: One one of the Most Important Places om Earth (Video)
Stop the Line 5 Oil Pipeline
Amy talks with a researcher who took a deep dive into the water impacts of AI data centers. What she found is something you're not hearing many tech companies talking about.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Hannah Richerson, Water Policy Manager, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
New Analysis: Data Center Water Consumption Will Be Far Higher Than Tech Companies Claim Clear As Mud: Hidden Thirst Of Data Centers AI Data Centers In Wisconsin Will Use More Energy Than All Homes In State Combined
Wisconsin was one of the first places where the farm-to-table movement really took root. But now that movement is changing, becoming more urgent in the face of the flooding, droughts, and changing weather patterns that are taking a toll on our food systems.
In this episode, Amy welcomes Madison's 2025 Chef of the Year Evan Danells of Cadre to talk about why these days chefs are adding protecting the planet to the menu.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Chef Evan Danells, Cadre
Resources for You:
2026 Epicurean Evening Menu & Tickets
Right now there are three AI data centers under construction in Wisconsin. So how do you minimize the toll they will take on our environment and our energy bills?
On this episode, a deep dive into data center tariffs at the PSC and what they mean for you.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Clean Wisconsin Attorney Brett Korte
Resources for You:
Petition: Stop Unchecked AI Data Center Devlopment
Related Episodes:
Episode 56: Data Center Secrets
Episode 59: Who's Paying for Data Centers?
Episode 60: Hey tech companies, your gas is showing!
Episode 63: How Caledonia, WI Defeated a Date Center
Episode 67: The Nuclear Option
The science supporting climate change has long been settled, but progress remains painfully slow. Especially here in Wisconsin, where we have laws on the books that are actively helping to keep fossil fuels burning here.
But maybe not for long. In this episode meet one of 15 kids who is suing our state over climate change.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests:
Madeleine Bohn, Wisconsin High School Student
Skylar Harris, Attorney, Midwest Environmental Advocates
On this episode, a look at the fallout from a rapid dismantling of environmental protections, and what groups like Clean Wisconsin and so many others are doing to keep people safe.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Katie Nekola, Clean Wisconsin General Counsel
Resources For You:
Economic Impacts of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" Energy Provisions on Wisconsin Clean Wisconsin Sues EPA Over Repeal Of Climate Protections
What makes the food you eat healthy? Turns out it's a pretty complicated question that goes way beyond the four food groups. In this episode, Amy visits Starry Nights Farm in Burlington to learn about some groundbreaking research—involving beef raised right here in Wisconsin—that's changing the way we look at food and nutrition.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Paul Maggio and Marisa Wiewall, Starry Nights Farm
Resources for You:
Nutritional Comparisons Between Grass-Fed Beef and Conventional Grain-Fed Beef
Defining Nutrient Density in Beef
Starry Nights Farm
Defender Episode 57: Wisconsin's Forbidden Fruit
Defender Episode 45: Cows, Tall Grass and Wind Turbines
Communities across Wisconsin are starting to push back when energy utilities come to town with big plans for big gas plants. But how do you turn opposition into victory?
In this episode, Amy talks with the mayor of Superior about the city's long journey to defeat the Nemadji Trail Energy Center—the ugly gas plant with the pretty name.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Mayor Jim Paine, Superior, Wis.
Resources for You:
Under the Lens: The Truth About Natural Gas
There is a lot of new excitement around nuclear energy these days, and no coincidence, it comes as we face staggering energy demands from AI data centers. Now, the Trump Administration is relaxing environmental and safety regulations for new nuclear reactors. In this episode, a look at what would happen to our environment - and our energy bills - if utilities race to meet AI demand by building more nuclear reactors.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Katie Nekola, General Counsel, Clean Wisconsin
In the race to transition to clean, safe energy, there are lessons to be learned just about everywhere, including in Texas.
In this episode, what January's major winter storm is teaching us about our power grid—and the painful lesson we are all going to learn this month about natural gas.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Ciaran Gallagher, PhD, Energy and Air Manager, Clean Wisconsin
On this episode, some real hope that a bipartisan solution for state PFAS funding is at hand -- and the industry that is coming in at the last minute to try to kill it.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Erik Kanter, Government Relations Director, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Clean Wisconsin Action Network
In this episode, how new action from the EPA is undermining one of the most successful environmental laws in US history.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Nick Mailloux, PhD Student, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Resources for You:
Join Clean Wisconsin's Action Network
Pollution and Our Health: The Environmental Health Initiative
In this episode, how a small Wisconsin community stood up to one of the most powerful companies in the world… and won. And what we can all learn from their fight.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Prescott Balch, Village of Caledonia resident
Resources for You:
Stop Unchecked Data Center Development (petition)
AI Data Center Energy Demand Analysis
AI Data Center Offsite Water Withdrawals
On this episode a look what could be sprayed on food and farm fields all around us - plus a bit of Wisconsin history that offers some hope as we confront a new batch of toxic chemicals.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Sara Walling, Clean Wisconsin Water & Agency Program Director
Resources for You:
Under the Lens: What we know about PFAS in Wisconsin's Water
Nitrate pollution's impact on Wisconsn's health and economy
Neonicotinoid pesticides and their impact
Episode 43: The pesticides that could be lurking in your pollinator garden
Episode 33: Wisconsin's bees are acting weird. Here's why.
Episode 29: Trump's Threat to Safe Water (and how WI can fight back!)
Meet the Wisconsin native who is foraging 100% of his food.
What was the last thing you foraged? Maybe some ramps, or morels? But what about your salt, oil, even toothpaste? On this episode, meet the Wisconsin native who is setting out to prove that he can not only survive for an entire year eating only food he has foraged, but he can also help show the true connection to nature most of us have been missing.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Robin Greenfield, Sustainability Advocate, Ashland Wis. native
Resources for You:
robingreenfield.org
Food Freedom: A Year of Growing and Foraging 100% of My Food
Robin Greenfield YouTube Channel
Defender Episode 57: Wisconsin's Forbidden Fruit
Don't look at the gas plant behind the curtain! If you feel like tech companies and energy utilities are gaslighting you with their assurances that AI data centers won't hurt our environment, you're probably right.
In this episode, how AI is causing a fossil fuel boom in Wisconsin and the lawsuit just filed to try and stop it.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests:
Katie Nekola, General Counsel, Clean Wisconsin
Ciaran Gallagher, Climate & Air Manager, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Petition: Take A Stand Against Unchecked Data Center Development
New Analysis: Data Center Water Consumption Will Be Far Higher Than Tech Companies Claim
Analysis: Two approved AI data centers in Wisconsin will use more energy than all homes in state combined
PSC approves plan to power AI data center with gas plants
You may have heard, Wisconsin needs more power and we need it fast. In the next few years, AI data centers will cause an unprecedented surge in energy demand across our state. There are already large expensive new powerplants being built to help meet that demand with more to come. But the big question is, will Wisconsinites be left shouldering the cost?
In this episode, the shocking energy needs of AI, why our power companies are rolling out the red carpet, and the lasting environmental and economic harms that could be left in the wake.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Tom Content, Citizens Utility Board (CUB)
Resources for You:
Citizens Utility Board Data Centers Page
Petition: Take A Stand Against Unchecked Data Center Development
New Analysis: Data Center Water Consumption Will Be Far Higher Than Tech Companies Claim
Analysis: Two approved AI data centers in Wisconsin will use more energy than all homes in state combined
PSC approves plan to power AI data center with gas plants
What if you could make a difference in the fight to protect our environment by doing nothing at all? In this episode, why fall is the perfect time to be lazy - for the planet.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Elizabeth Braat, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Resources for You:
Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade
Episode 43: The hidden pesticides that could be lurking in your pollinator garden
Neonic Pesticides and their Impact
The amazing story of one Wisconsin food that was banned, burned, disappeared from our plates - and the comeback that's being helped along by solar farms.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Lily Hislop, Savanna Institute
Resources for You:
Black Currants: A once-forbidden fruit
Farming for the Future: Charting a course for a new food system
Black Currant: Ribes Nigrum
A Clean Wisconsin analysis shows just two approved data centers in Wisconsin will use more power than all the homes in our state combined. More than the generation capacity of the Point Beach nuclear plant, the single-largest source of power in Wisconsin. And that leaves a lot of people are wondering, where is all this leading us? What will it mean for Wisconsin’s precious water resources, our land, our energy bills? And why is it so hard to find out? In this episode, an in-depth conversation on the secrets of data centers.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Michael Greif, Midwest Environmental Advocates
Resources for You:
AI data centers in Wisconsin will use more energy than all homes in state combined
Large Wisconsin data center tax breaks make benefits unclear
MEA Takes Legal Action to Compel City of Racine to Disclose Data Center’s Projected Water Use
PSC approves plan to power AI data center with gas plants, bringing 1,200 MW of new, dirty power to southeast Wisconsin
There is no question we are living through a stressful, often overhwelming time. So if you’re feeling hopeless, especially in the face of the climate crisis, no one could blame you. But there is no better place to find hope – than in other people. How you can joing people from all walks of life in Sunday, Sept 28 to take a stand for our climate right here in Wisconsin.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Heather Allen, Policy Director, Elevate
Resources for You:
Wisconsin Climate March Sunday Sept. 28, Madison, Wisconsin
Yes, there are 150-million reasons to listen to this episode. Because Wisconsin has $150 million dollars in federal funding to help make our homes warmer in the winter, cooler in the summer, healthier, more efficient. All the things.
A look at two little-known programs that survived the big Federal cuts and are ready to be used by you.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Dylan Crye, Home Energy Rebates Program Manager, Focus on Energy
Joe Pater, Dir. Office of Energy Innovation, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Focus on Energy
Watts Up Wisconsin - Focus on Energy podcast
Home Energy Rebates Help Wisconsinites Save Big
How much would you pay to swim in a clean lake? How much to take a breath of fresh, clean air? To fish in a pristine stream? You may not ever think about that, but there is somebody who does -- a lot.
On this episode, meet the professor who’s working to understand the economic value of a clean environment.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dan Phaneuf, Professor, Agricultural and Applied Economics, Unversity of Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Clean Wisconsin: Fighting for Clean Water
The Environmental Protection Agency is quickly getting out of the protection business. And no where is that more clear than its new plan to get rid of the Endangerment Finding, the landmark legal and science determination that climate change hurts people and that the EPA has the responsibility to do something about it.
On this episode a look at why the EPA is now insisting climate pollution won’t hurt you, and what walking back the endangerment finding could mean for Wisconsin.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Clean Wisconsin General Counsel Katie Nekola
Resources for You:
Take Action: Tell the EPA not to rescind the Endangerment Finding
Livestock farmers in Wisconsin are getting excited about solar! MG&E’s Tyto solar project is home to about 13,000 solar panels, 30 acres of thriving plants, and a flock of happy sheep.
Amy takes a behind-the-scenes look at the solar energy project where 145 hungry sheep are hard at work this summer.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: John Armstrong, manager of renewable engineering, Madison Gas and Electric
Beau Stafford, Wiscovery Farms
Resources for You:
Supporting Solar in Wisconsin
Episode 40: Surprising Environmental Impacts of Solar in Wisconsin
Analysis: Solar produces 100 times more energy per acre than corn grown for ethanol
In the long, never-ending struggle to protect our environment, it can be easy to feel helpless, powerless. Maybe nothing underscores that feeling more than trying to stop a big foreign oil interest from building a pipeline across your state. But there is something you can do to speak out against the Line 5 oil pipeline. And it's fun! Amy looks at the Move People Not Oil campaign.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Jacob Ahrens-Balwit, Strategic Communications Manager, Clean Wisconsin
More Resources for You:
Enbridge Line 5 Blasting Area Photos (Instagram)
Move People Not Oil - Take the pledge and more information
Latest on Line 5
If you are feeling afraid to click on news stories every time a decision gets handed down by the US Supreme Court, you're not alone. But some recent Wisconsin Supreme Court decisions are bringing much-needed good news in the fight to protect our environment.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Evan Feinauer, Clean Wisconsin attorney
Resources for You:
Episode 29: Trump's threat to safe water (and how WI can fight back)
Episode 24: What Trump 2.0 means for our environment
Episode 20: Supreme Court power grab
Northern Wisconsin is home to Lake Superior, to beautiful streams and wetlands, to thousands of acres of mesic forests--and to a 72-year-old oil pipeline called Line 5. Now the foreign oil company, Enbridge, that owns and operates the line is pushing to blast and trench its way across northern Wisconsin to build a reroute. Amy gets the latest on legal action to stop it.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Clean Wisconsin attorneys Brett Korte and Evan Feinauer
Resources for You:
Information on Line 5
What Line 5 means for me (video)
Clean Wisconsin News: Sign up for Line 5 updates and more
Milwaukee is at the center of what the federal government calls an "Area of Concern." A place where so much toxic water pollution and environmental degradation have happened over the course of more than a century, that it needs special attention and funding to get cleaned up.
But how do you confront and begin to heal the collective harms of legacy pollution? Of decades of injustice that is still happening? Amy talks with Shalina S. Ali about how that process can start with art, with creativity, with channeling the mixture of emotions—the joy and pain—that comes with working toward change.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Shalina S. Ali, Co-Executive Director, TRUE Skool
Resources for You:
Area of Concern Community Advisory Commiteee
TRUE Skool Summer Park Jam
Peace Park & Garden Mural Unveiling
The Big Beautiful Budget will have some ugly consequences. In this episode, why the fallout from Trump's budget will include bigger bills, toxic emissions, and yep - more risk of blackouts.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Ciaran Gallagher, PhD, Energy & Air Manager, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Join Clean Wiscosin's Action Network
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to stand next to a wind turbine? You're about to find out. In this epsiode, Amy meets 2nd generation Wisconsin farmer Jerry Cigelske at his Columbia County farm to talk about about why cows, grass and windmills have been the key to keeping his family on the land.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Jerry Cigelske, Columbia County farmer
Resources for You:
Wisconsin-grown clean energy
Showing up for Wind in Wisconsin
Cows in the Woods: What it takes to create a silvopasture
If you are a regular listener, you have heard of neonicotinoids, a class of neurotoxins used on food crops all over the state and country. And it turns out, neonics are hurting a lot more than pollinators - like fish, birds, small mammals and potentially people.
On this episode, what we know about the impacts of neonic pesticides on our bodies and how to limit exposure.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Kayla Rinderknecht, Population Health Fellow, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Episode 43: The hidden pesticides that could be lurking in your pollinator garden
Episode 33: Wisconsin’s bees are acting weird. Here’s why.
Neonicotinoids and their Impact
Episode 23 Neurotixins on Our Plates
Neonicotinoids and Human Health
You never know when a life-changing moment is going to come. For Sarah Savage, owner of Tend Native Plants, it came when she picked up a book about pollinators. Amy meets Sarah at her small plant nursery in Blue Mounds, Wis., to talk about the hidden pesticides that could be lurking in our gardens and how to make sure the flowers we buy are truly pollinator-friendly.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Sarah Savage, Tend Native Plants
Resources for You:
Tend Native Plants
Episode 33: Wisconsin's bees are acting weird. Here's why.
Neonicotinoids and their Impact
Episode 23 Neurotixins on Our Plates
Neonicotinoids and Human Health
Expert Speakers Series: Wisconsin Neonic Forum
What’s it going to take to make clean energy Wisconsin’s new normal? It helps to have a bunch of fresh-faced new college graduates ready to take on the world. UW Platteville has a 100% placement rate for graduates in Sustainability and Renewable Energy Systems. Hear from Renee Stram who just got her diploma--and a job--about her optimistic take on fighting climate change.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Renne Stram, UW Platteville graduate
Resources for You:
UW Platteville Sustainability & Clean Energy Systems program
Supporting Solar in Wisconsin
Stop Wasting our Wind
Local environmental impacts of solar in Wisconsin
Defender Episode 4: Solar vs Corn for Ethanol--which land use produces the most energy?
Where to Listen: It's not easy to locate and document Wisconsin's endangered species, but luckily Ernie and Betty White are on the case! They are two of Wisconsin’s specially-trained conservation dogs, and they could be the secret to finding some of our state’s most threated species.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Laura Holder, Owner, Conservation Dogs Collective
Betty White, Ernie, and Boxie
Resources for You: Conservation Dogs Collective
Episode 33: Wisconsin's bees are acting weird. Here's why.
Episode 11: Wisconsin's Vanishing Bee
Many farmers are choosing to integrate solar panels into their fields. Now a new analysis shows that decision can impact a lot more than energy costs and the climate. Putting solar panels on conventional farmland can actually change the environment where those panels are located--for the better.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dr. Paul Mathewson, Clean WIsconsin
Resouces for You:
Integrating solar into conventional farmland can restore soil health, provide habitat for native pollinators and improve water quality by reducing sediment and fertilizer runoff into nearby waterways.
According to Clean Wisconsin’s Solar Farm Impact Analysis:
- Solar farms that replace conventional row crops like corn and soybeans reduce sediment and phosphorus pollution runoff into nearby lakes, rivers and streams by 75-95%.
- When deep-rooted, perennial vegetation is planted among the panels, solar farms can increase soil carbon sequestration by 65%, and improve overall soil health.
- Planting perennial vegetation among the panels also improves wildlife habitat compared to existing cropland, including a 300% improvement in habitat quality for pollinators, which are in steep decline.
- Solar farms produce 100 times more net energy per acre than corn grown for ethanol and are a far more efficient use of land. To meet net-zero carbon emissions, Wisconsin only needs about 200,000 acres of land for solar, or about 15% of the 1.5 million acres of land currently devoted to ethanol production in our state.
More to Explore:
Analysis: Solar farms produce 100 times more energy than corn grown for ethanol
No Mow May is here, but is it the best way to protect pollinators in our yards? Amy walks through a typical Wisconsin yard with pollinator expert Elizabeth Braatz to learn if No Mow May really works.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Elizabeth Braatz, Bumble Bee Brigade Coordinator and Terrestrial Insect Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Resources for You:
Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade
Saving Wisconsin’s Native Pollinators
Corn Ethanol vs. Solar: A Land Use Comparison
if you look around at houses, schools, churches--you’re probably seeing more and more solar panels on their rooftops. A lot of that is thanks to federal incentives through the Inflation Reduction Act that make solar more affordable. But those programs are now at risk of being cut, and tariffs could be pushing the low solar costs we’ve been seeing much higher. Fortunately, solar has a pretty determined advocate who’s spreading the word about how solar works for Wisconsin.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Elise Couillard, Couillard Solar Foundation
Resources for You:
Couillard Solar Foundation
Federal Funds for Wisconsin
Clean Wisconsin has been keeping track of the many attacks on bedrock environmental safeguards being carried out by the Trump Administration. Dozens of rules and regulations that protect our air, water, land, endangered species and more are being targeted. With so much happening in such a short time, how do you know what’s important, what’s just a lot of bluster, and what’s even legal?
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Brett Korte, Clean Wisconsin attorney
Resources for You:
Running list of attacks on environmental safeguards
1/20 Freeze All In-Progress Standards
EO - Freezes in-progress climate, clean air, clean water (including proposed limits on PFAS in industrial wastewater) and consumer protections.
1/20 Energy Emergency Declaration
EO - Authorizes federal government to expedite permitting and approval of fossil fuel, infrastructure, and mining projects and circumvent Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act requirements.
1/20 Withdrawal from Paris Climate Agreement
EO - Reverses the US' international commitment to tackling climate change and reducing pollution.
1/20 Revokes Biden Climate Crisis and Environmental Justice Executive Actions
EO - Reverses U.S. commitment to fight climate change and its impacts, and protect overburdened communities.
1/20 Attacks on Clean Car Standards
EO - to stop clean car standards that required automakers to reduce tailpipe pollution from vehicles beginning in 2027.
1/20 Resumes LNG Permitting
EO - Expedites Liquid Natural Gas export terminal approval over analysis finding exports raise energy costs for consumers.
Attacks Climate and Clean Energy Investments from IRA and BIL
EO - Freezes unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and directs agencies to reassess.
1/20 Attacks NEPA Protections
EO - Rescinds order requiring White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to assess environmental and community impacts and allow community input into federal infrastructure projects.
1/21 Expands Offshore Oil Drilling
EO - Reopens U.S. coastlines to offshore drilling.
1/21 Terminate American Climate Corps
EO - Ends all programs of the American Climate Corps, which created thousands of jobs combatting climate change and protecting and restoring public lands.
1/21 Freezes New Wind Energy Leases
EO - Withdraws wind energy leasing from U.S. waters and federal lands.
1/21 Open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other Alaska Lands for Drilling
EO - Reopens sensitive federal lands and waters in Alaska to drilling.
1/28 EPA’s Science Advisory Panel Members Fired
Memorandum - Acting EPA administrator James Payne dismisses members of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and Science Advisory Board, which provides independent expertise to the agency on air quality standards and sources of air pollution.
1/28 EPA Suspends Solar For All Grants
Memorandum - The EPA halted $7 billion in contractually obligated grants for Solar For All, an Inflation Reduction Act program that delivers clean energy and lower prices to vulnerable communities
1/31 Trump administration scrubs "climate change" from federal websites
Memorandum - Mentions of climate change have been removed from federal websites such the Department of Agriculture, which includes the Forest Service and climate-smart agriculture programs, and the EPA.
2/3 Trump requires removal 10 existing rules for every new rule
EO - The order requires that when an agency finalizes a new regulation or guidance they identify 10 existing rules to be cut.
2/3 Interior secretary weakens public lands protections in favor of fossil fuel development
Sec Order - After Trump’s "Unleashing American Energy" executive order, Interior Secretary Burgum ordered the reinstatement of fossil fuel leases, opened more land for drilling, and issued orders weakening protections of public lands, national monuments and endangered species, and overturned advanced clean energy and climate mitigation strategies.
2/5 Energy secretary announces review of appliance efficiency standards
Sec Order - Energy Secretary Wright ordered a review of appliance standards following Trump’s Day One order attacking rules improving the efficiency of household appliances such as toilets, showerheads, and lightbulbs as part of a secretarial order intended to increase the extraction and use of fossil fuels.
2/5 Army Corps of Engineers halts approval of renewables
Guidance via DOD - The Army Corps of Engineers singled out 168 projects – those that focused on renewable energy projects – out of about 11,000 pending permits for projects on private land. Though the hold was lifted, it was not immediately clear if permitting had resumed.
2/6 Transportation Department orders freeze of EV charging infrastructure program
Memorandum - A Transportation Department memo ordered the suspension of $5 billion in federal funding, authorized by Congress under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, for states to build electric vehicle chargers.
2/11 SEC starts process to kill climate disclosure rule
Memorandum - The acting chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission paused the government’s legal defense of a rule requiring companies to identify the impact of their business on climate in regulatory findings. The rule was challenged in court by 19 Republican state attorneys general and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s Liberty Energy, among others.
2/14 EPA fires hundreds of staff
Memorandum - The Trump administration’s relentless assault on science and career expertise at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continued today with the firing of almost 400 staff who had ‘probationary’ status.
2/14 DOE issues the first LNG export authorization under new Trump administration
DOE Secretary Wright issued an export authorization for the Commonwealth LNG project in Cameron Parish, Louisiana, despite a 2024 DOE report finding that unfettered LNG exports increase energy bills and climate pollution.
2/18 Trump issues order stripping independent agencies of independence
EO - Trump signed an executive order stripping independent regulatory agencies, including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of their independence, moving them to submit proposed rules and final regulations for review by the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) and granting the attorney general exclusive authority over legal interpretations of rules. The order is likely to be challenged as Congress created these agencies specifically to be insulated from White House interference.
2/19 Zeldin recommends striking endangerment finding
Memorandum - After Trump’s "Unleashing American Energy" executive order, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has told the White House he would recommend rescinding the bedrock justification defining six climate pollutants – carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride – as air pollution to be regulated by the Clean Air Act.
2/19 Trump administration moves to rescind all CEQ regulatory authority
Rulemaking - The Trump administration has moved to rescind the Council on Environmental Quality’s role in crafting and implementing environmental regulations, revoking all CEQ orders since 1977 that shape how federal agencies comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) which requires the government to consider and disclose environmental impacts of its actions.
2/19 Trump directs agencies to make deregulation recommendations to DOGE
EO - Trump issues executive order directing agencies to work with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to make recommendations that will accelerate Trump’s efforts to dismantle regulations across the federal government as part of his 10 out, 1 in policy. Among the protections likely to be in DOGE’s crosshairs are those that keep polluters from ignoring environmental laws and protect clean air and water.
2/19 FEMA staff advised to scrub "changing climate" and other climate terms from documents
Memorandum - A Federal Emergency Management Agency memo listed 10 climate-related words and phrases, including "changing climate," “climate resilience,” and “net zero," to be removed from FEMA documents. The memo comes after USDA workers were ordered to scrub mentions of climate change from websites.
2/21 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Director Placed on Administrative Leave
Guidance - According to media reports, EPA administrator Lee Zeldin has put the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) director on administrative leave. The GGRF is a $27 billion federal financing program that addresses the climate crisis and is injecting billions of dollars in local economic development projects to lower energy prices and reduce pollution especially in the rural, urban, and Indigenous communities most impacted by climate change and frequently left behind by mainstream finance.
2/27 Hundreds fired as layoffs begin at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Guidance - On Thursday, February 27, about 800 employees at NOAA, the agency responsible for the nation’s bedrock weather, climate, fisheries, and marine research, were fired in the latest round of Trump administration-led layoffs. The layoffs could jeopardize NOAA’s ability to provide life-saving severe weather forecasts, long-term climate monitoring, deep-sea research and fisheries management, and other essential research and policy.
3/10 Energy secretary says climate change a worthwhile tradeoff for growth
Announcement - Speaking at the CERAWeek conference, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the Trump administration sees climate change as “a side effect of building the modern world,” and pledged to “end the Biden administration’s irrational, quasi-religious policies on climate change."
3/10 Zeldin, Musk Cut $1.7B in Environmental Justice Grants
Guidance - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the cancellation of 400 environmental justice-related grants, in violation of a court order barring the Trump administration from freezing "equity-based" grants and contracts.
3/11 EPA eliminates environmental justice offices, staff
Memorandum - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin ordered the closure of environmental justice offices at the agency’s headquarters and at all 10 regional offices and eliminate all related staff positions "immediately." The reversal comes just days after the EPA reinstated environmental justice and civil rights employees put on leave in early February.
3/12 EPA Announcement to Revise "Waters of the United States" Rule
Announcement - The EPA will redefine waters of the US, or WOTUS, to comply with the US Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA, which lifted Clean Water Act jurisdiction on many wetlands, Administrator Lee Zeldin said
3/14 Zeldin releases 31-rollback ‘hit list’
Memorandum (announced, not in effect as of 4/10) - EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced plans to dismantle federal air quality and carbon pollution regulations, identifying 31 actions ranging from from soot standards and power plant pollution rules to the endangerment finding – the scientific and legal underpinning of the Clean Air Act.
3/14 EPA halts enforcement of pollution rules at energy facilities
Memorandum - According to a leaked memo, the EPA’s compliance office has halted enforcement of pollution regulations on energy facilities and barred consideration of environmental justice concerns. The memo states: "Enforcement and compliance assurance actions shall not shut down any stage of energy production (from exploration to distribution) or power generation absent an imminent and substantial threat to human health or an express statutory or regulatory requirement to the contrary.”
3/14 Trump revokes order encouraging renewables
EO - Trump signed an executive order rescinding a Biden-era proclamation encouraging the development of renewable energy. Biden’s order under the Defense Production Act permitted the Department of Energy to direct funds to scale up domestic production of solar and other renewable technologies.
3/17 EPA plans to eliminate science staff
Memorandum - Leaked documents describe plans to lay off as many as 1,155 scientists from labs across the country. These chemists, biologists, toxicologists and other scientists are among the experts who monitor air and water quality, cleanup of toxic waste, and more.
3/16 EPA invites waivers on mercury pollution and other hazardous pollutants
Memorandum - The EPA invited coal- and oil-fired power plants to apply for exemptions to limits on mercury and other toxic pollutants under the Clean Air Act. Mercury is an extremely dangerous pollutant that causes brain damage to babies and fetuses; in addition to mercury, pollution from power plants includes hazardous chemicals that can lead to cancer, or damage to the lungs, kidneys, nervous system and cardiovascular system.
4/3 Trump administration adds "deregulation suggestion" website
A new page on regulations.gov allows members of the public to submit "deregulation" ideas. The move is the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to slash public health, safety, and climate safeguards, and comes soon after the administration offered companies the opportunity to send the EPA an email if they wished to be exempted from Clean Air Act protections.
4/8 Series of four EOs to boost coal
EO - Under the four orders, Trump uses his emergency authority to allow some older coal-fired power plants set for retirement to keep producing electricity to meet rising U.S. power demand amid growth in data centers, artificial intelligence and electric cars. Trump also directed federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands.
In a related action, Trump also signed a proclamation offering coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene.
4/9 Executive Order Attacking State Climate Laws
EO - Directs the U.S. Attorney General to sue or block state climate policies deemed "burdensome" to fossil fuel interests — including laws addressing climate change, ESG investing, carbon taxes, and environmental justice.
4/9 New expiration dates on existing energy rules
EO - The order directs ten agencies and subagencies to assign one-year expiration dates to existing energy regulations. If they are not extended, they will expire no later than September 30, 2026, according to a White House fact sheet on the order. The order also said any new regulations should include a five-year expiration, unless they are deregulatory. That means any future regulations would only last for five years unless they are extended.
4/17 Narrow Endangered Species Act to allow for habitat destruction
The Trump administration is proposing to significantly limit the Endangered Species Act's power to preserve crucial habitats by changing the definition of one word: harm. The Endangered Species Act prohibits actions that “harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect” endangered plants and animals. The word “harm” has long been interpreted to mean not just the direct killing of a species, but also severe harm to their environment
There is no question the winters of our childhood are disappearing. In 2024, a rainy January gave way to tornadoes in February, flooding in June and drought in July and August.
So what is next for Wisconsin and how can we prepare? In this episode, Amy talks with Wisconsin's state climatologist about what could be the new normal for our state.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Steve Vavrus, Wisconsin State Climatologist
Resources for You:
Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts
Wisconsin 2024 Annual Climate Summary
We are breathing in and ingesting tiny plastic particles called microplastics and nanoplastics all the time. According to a recent study, tissues in a typical adult brain contains the equivalent of a plastic spoon’s worth of plastic particles. In this episode, find out what all that plastic accumulating in our brains, arteries and reproductive systems could mean for our health--and what we can do about it.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Kayla Rinderknecht, Population Health Fellow, Clean Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Microplastics in our Bodies: Exposures and Potential Health Harms
Under the Lens: Microplastics in our Environment and Our Bodies
It’s no secret, Wisconsin has been rapidly losing its family farms, and with them, a way of life that’s defined much of our state for more than a century. But there’s a lifeline. In this episode, a southeastern Wisconsin farmer explains why he's trading in some of his ethanol corn -- for a chance to farm the sun.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Jay Wednt, farmer, Dean Kincaid, Inc.
Resources for you:
Analysis reveals solar farms produce 100 times more energy per acre than corn ethanol
Farmers for Solar
Wind and solar emerge as cheapest options for powering Wisconsin
Imagine feeling not quite yourself. You don’t feel like taking care of your kids. You can’t find your way to work anymore, don’t want to hang out with anybody. It would be awful.
But it’s happening to bees all around us.
Turns out a pesticide used on virtually all of our corn and soybeans, is harming our pollinators at very low levels of exposure in ways that are rarely studied.
On this episode, hear from a University of Wisconsin Madison researcher who’s been looking at the lives of bees and the impacts of a neurotoxin we put on our food.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dr. Hames Crall, Assistant Professor of Entomology, University of Wisconsin
Resources for You:
Episode: Neurotoxins on our Plates
Episode: Wisconsin's Vanishing Bee
Episode: No Mow May, Does it Work?
Understanding the Impact of Neonicotonoid Pesticides
Wisconsin Neonic Forum Video Series
What if I told you there was a grain that doesn’t have to be replanted every spring, that has roots growing 10-feet deep, taking in carbon and holding it deep in the soil, that helps prevent soil erosion and excess fertilizer from washing into our lakes--AND it makes a tasty beer.
In this episode, a look at the work behind an experimental batch of Kernza® beer at Karben4 Brewing in Madison that has the farming research world taking notice.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Joe Walts, Karben4 Brewing
Resources for You:
Taste the Change: Wisconsin Kenrnza®
Natural Climate Solutions: A path forward for Wisconsin's agricultural sector
Three cheers for climate beer!
Kernza® Crunch: The race to develop the world's first perennial grain crop
“Action is the antidote to despair.” On this episode we look at how to move forward on climate when it feels like our federal government is determined to push us backward. Learn about actions you can take right now, right here in Wisconsin to defend progress. And hear from climate advocate and Wisconsin farmer Chelsea Chandler on climate strategy in the age of "drill baby drill."
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Chelsea Chandler
Resources for you:
Clean Wisconsin Take Action
Analysis: Solar farms produce 100 times more energy per acrea than corn ethanol
Threats to federal funding for pollution cleanup, clean energy initiatives spark anger in Wisconsin communities
PSC approves most powerful solar project in Wisconsin history
In the wintertime, Wisconsin is one salty place. It’s all over our cars – in our cars – tracked into buildings, all over our shoes and boots. It’s a mess. Thankfully salt season is almost over, but it’s never over for our lakes or even our drinking water wells.
Find out what happens to all that salt when winter is over, and hear from an advocate who's working to teach all of us out to be salt wise.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Allison Madison, WI Salt Wise
More Resources for You: WI Salt Wise website
We are about to say goodbye to some basic water protections as the Trump Administration looks to undo decades of science-based work focused on keeping toxic chemicals out of our water supplies.
Right now on the Defender, Amy talks with Clean Wisconsin attorney Evan Feinauer about how bedrock protections like the Clean Water Act could be at risk as the new administration targets regulations, research, and expert staff at the EPA. Find out what’s at stake and how Wisconsin can fight back.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Evan Feinauer
Resources for You:
Under the Lens: What we know about PFAS in Wisconsin's Water
Nitrate pollution's impact on Wisconsn's health and economy
Neonicotinoid pesticides and their impact
More episodes with Evan:
When Judges Rule the Environment: How bad are the new Supreme Court rulings?
What Trump 2.0 means for our environment
Lead is a neurotoxin, and when you breathe it in, it gets into your bloodstream and can cause all kinds of health problems, including brain damage. It’s no wonder leaded gasoline was banned in the US nearly 30 years ago. But that ban didn’t cover small aircraft fuel. Turns out, those small airplanes buzzing around recreational airports across the state and country still use leaded gas. The planes are spreading tiny lead particles over people’s backyards, water wells, playgrounds, soccer fields and waterways just about every time they fly.
It this episode, Amy talks with a small town Wisconsin lawmaker who is leading her community’s charge to get the lead out of our air. And she’s got an eye-opening study that shows how our drinking water could be at risk too.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Cynthia Richson, Town of Middleton, Wis., town board chair
Resources for you:
EPA Lead Endangerment Finding
If you care about the environment, protecting this planet, our home, our livable climate, chances are you’re a little stressed out right now. But what if I told you that environmental action can open the door… to joy. Heat from a Wisconsin woman who started on a journey a few years ago to get fossil fuels out of her home. No furnace, no gas stove, no gas hot water heater. She takes us on a tour of her house and shares her perspective on activism and the joy she finds in taking personal responsibility for our impact in this world.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Susan Millar
Resources for You:
How to Defend the Inflation Reducation Act The biggest investment to fight climate change in U.S. history is under attack. Find out how you can protect incentives that are helping Wisconsinites save energy and money.
True to its name, this podcast, State of Change is about to undergo some big changes. The first – a new name. Going forward, this will be the Defender podcast. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same name as Clean Wisconsin’s quarterly newspaper, the longest-running environmental advocacy publication in Wisconsin, the Defender.
And right now, that advocacy, that word “Defender” is so important. Environmentalism needs a voice, now more than ever.
We’re also going to be rolling out new episodes weekly. So every Monday check your favorite podcast streaming service or your inbox to listen to the latest Defender episode.
Every week, Amy will with scientists, advocates, farmers, experts, and just everyday people who are working right here in Wisconsin to make a difference to protect this place we call home. And learn how you can use your voice to be part of defending what we all care about.
It’s food season, also known as the holidays! And what you choose to put on your plate actually has an impact on the world around you. Agriculture is not only big business across the Midwest, it is also a major source of water pollution in Wisconsin and a major and growing source greenhouse gas emissions.
But how do you make it better?
In this episode, Amy talks with Kathryn (Kata) Young, Natural Climate Solutions Manager with Clean Wisconsin, about the places where eating and our environment connect.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Kathryn (Kata) Young, Clean Wisconsin
What does a new, better-prepared Trump Administration mean for the water we drink, the air we breathe, the safety of our food, our climate?
We know a long list of federal environmental protections and programs will be rolled back or dismantled during the next presidential administration. We’re talking about erasing new standards for toxic PFAS chemicals in our drinking water, pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, diminishing wetland protections, pulling funding to replace lead pipes, undermining the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon, axing programs that help people weatherize their homes, getting rid of support for manufacturing of batteries and solar panels, and of course, lots more drilling and fracking.
If you think it feels overwhelming, you’re not wrong. There are also plans to target the unbiased science and research that happens at our federal agencies, replacing civil servants with political appointees.
So now that I’ve got you thoroughly angry, sad, scared, name the emotion, we’re going to dig into some of these issues and look at the road ahead to fight back.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Clean Wisconsin Attorneys Evan Feinauer and Brett Korte
For the past 25 years, we've been putting neurotoxins on our food. Neonicotinoids are potent chemicals that attack the central nervous systems of insects. Not only are they widely used on our food and in our soil, they're showing up in our drinking water in Wisconsin. And that leads to a big question -- what do they do to us? In this episode, Amy uncovers the truth about neonicotinoids with experts from Clean Wisconsin and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests:
Sara Walling, Water & Agriculture Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Carla Romano, Groundwater Specialist, Department od Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection
Background Reading:
Understanding the Impact of Neonicotinoid Insecticides
Agricultural Chemicals in Wisconsin Groundwater Report, Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection
Neonitcotinoids and their impacts
What's it going to take to get Wisconsin to 100% clean energy? If you listen to the state's biggest power companies, it's more methane gas. Wisconsin is on the verge of an expensive gas construction boom if utilities like We Energies in Alliant Energy have their way. But what about wind and solar? Is it possible for Wisconsin to finally trade in fossil fuels for clean energy right now? Amy talks with energy expert Dr. Ciaran Gallagher.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dr. Ciaran Gallagher, Energy Manager, Clean Wisconsin
Background Reading:
Under the Lens, the Truth About Natural Gas
Stopping Gas Expansion in Wisconsn
Power Wisconsin Forward: An affordable, reliable, fossil-free future
New research reveals how much it would cost to remove toxic PFAS 'forever' chemicals from the environment at the same rate we're currently producing and using them. Spoiler alert: we don't have enough money in the world. Hear from the researcher behind the study who says it should inspire optimism not hopelessness in the face of our growing PFAS problem.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Ali Ling, PhD
Background Reading:
The Future of Persistent 'Forever" Chemicals
Under the Lens: What we know about PFAS in Wisconsin's drinking water
Toxic PFAS pollution devastates two Wisconsin Communities (video)
What keeps you safe -- when you drink water, take medicine, get on an airplane, or take out a loan? It’s often a government agency charged with implementing our health, safety and consumer protection laws. But recent rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court have cast a long shadow. Legal experts say the rulings point to a Court that is actively working to unravel longstanding protections and policies, not just for the environment but across the board, and the harm will be far reaching.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Evan Feinauer, Clean Wisconsin attorney
Background Reading: Rulings from U.S. Supreme Court a disaster for the environment
Clean Wisconsin takes legal action to protect communities from toxic mercury pollution
New EPA power plant rules will save lives in Wisconsin
Clean Wisconsin Legal Work
How do you get people to start paying attention to the urgency of climate change? Just like the name says, Science Moms is a growing non-partisan group of scientists and mothers who are spreading the word about our climate and joining forces to demand change from our leaders. Amy talks with UW Madison professor Dr. Tracey Holloway, who is a member of Science Moms.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Tracey Holloway, Professor of Environmental Studies & Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of Wisconsin, Madison; Science Mom
Background Reading: Science Moms website
Wisconsin Agriculture's Critical Role in Addressing Climate Change
New Energy Study Shows Net-Zero Emissions Possible for Wisconsin by 2050
Federal Funds for Wisconsin: Take advantage of sweeping federal investments in clean energy and efficiency
What if there was a grain that didn’t have to be replanted every year? One with deep roots that stay in the soil, trap carbon, prevent erosion, filter water. Kernza – the world’s first perennial grain crop – could be a game changer when it comes to sustainable food production and using our land to help fight climate change. But the big question: does is make a good beer? In this episode, Amy heads to Lakefront Brewery in Milwaukee to find out.
Kernza® is the trademark name for the grain of an intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) being developed at The Land Institute in Kansas.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Russ Klisch, Owner & Co-Founder of Lakefront Brewery
Background Reading: Climate-Smart Crops: Kernza
Kerna Crunch: The Race to Develop the First Perennial Grain Crop (podcast)
Impacts of Conventional Agriculture in Wisconsin
The Land Institute: Kernza Grain
No Mow May is here, but does it really make a difference in the battle to save our bees and butterflies? Amy walks through a typical Wisconsin yard with pollinator expert Elizabeth Braatz.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Elizabeth Braatz, Bumble Bee Brigade Coordinator and Terrestrial Insect Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Background Reading: Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade
Saving Wisconsin's Native Pollinators
Corn Ethanol vs. Solar: A Land Use Comparison
When you think about the future of energy, do you picture you gas-fired power plants? In this episode, Amy looks at why power companies are racing to build new gas plants and what it means for the future of energy bills, our health and our climate.
We Energies, the largest power company in Wisconsin, recently announced plans to transition two major power plants from coal to natural gas, build two more new gas-fired facilities,and build another new facility to hold liquefied gas. If you think it sounds like a major shift toward more fossil fuel development, you're right. We Energies’ parent company WEC Energy Group filed an application with the Public Service Commission to get special accounting treatment on the high-dollar projects before they’ve established a need for all that gas.
Are gas-fired power plants the bridge to clean energy that power companies claim?
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Dr. Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Katie Nekola, Attorney, Clean Wisconsin
Background reading: * Under the Lens: The Truth About Natural Gas * We Enegies Doubles Down on Gas
Wisconsin's Public Service Commission approved a large methane gas plant four years ago. The site: a bluff overlooking the Nemadji River near the Minnesota border in Superior. At the time, Superior's city council unanimously supported the project. But it didn't take long for opinions to change.
In this episode, Amy talks with Superior City Councilor Jenny Van Sickle who at first supported the plant and is now helping lead the charge to stop it. Find out what has changed -- and what YOU can do to help fight the plant.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Jenny Van Sickle, Bumble Bee Brigade Coordinator and Terrestrial Insect Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Background Reading: Take Action Now: Call on federal officials to denty funding for the Nemadji Trail Energy Center
Fighting the Nemadji Trail Energy Center gas plant
Indigenous tribes urge federal officials to deny loan for Superior gas plant
- It's the year researchers at the University of Wisconsin developed a hearty red corn that could tolerate Wisconsin winters and feed the state’s dairy cows. Before long, farms all over the state were sending trainloads of their ruby red corn to feed livestock across the country. But it didn’t last. The 1970s ushered in genetically modified corn with enormous yields and out went Wisconsin’s home grown red variety. Until now...
In this episode, Amy heads to the home of J. Henry & Sons Bourbon in Dane County where Wisconsin’s old red feed corn is getting a brand new life – as the key ingredient in world class bourbon. A farm-to-glass experience that starts in the snowy fields of the Dairy State.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Joe Henry, J. Henry & Sons
It's no exaggeration to say PFAS 'forever chemicals' are everywhere. Some states have found PFAS tainting milk supplies and contaminating crops. What are the consequences of population-wide exposure to these toxic chemicals? Amy talks with Clean Wisconsin Science Program Director Dr. Paul Mathewson about the latest research.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest : Dr. Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Background reading: * Learn more about the latest PFAS health research in Clean Wisconsin's recent comments to the Natural Resources Board on the impact of proposed groundwater standards * Find out more about PFAS contamination in Wisconsin * Read the latest PFAS Fish Consumption Advisories for Wisconsin * View an interactive map of PFAS contamination sites in Wisconsin
Like ‘State of Change?’ Subscribe! Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
How do you know if the air you breathe is safe? It often depends on where you live--not just what town or city, but what neighborhood, what street. In this episode, Amy talks with Langston Verdin, founder of MKE Fresh Air Collective, a community-led air quality monitoring project in Milwaukee. Hear what he’s been finding out about the air we breathe and what it could mean for our health.
One of the most dangerous kinds of pollution in terms of health outcomes is in the air. Fine particulate matter airpPollution is made up of tiny airborne particles that are 30 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. They can settle deep in the lungs, even make their way into the bloodstream, and are associated with asthma attacks and higher risk of heart attacks, strokes and premature death.
According to an analysis from Clean Wisconsin – Wisconsin has the 3rd racial disparity in the country when it comes to exposure to these tiny particles. The particles come from burning fossil fuels, usually at coal and gas power plants, industrial facilities, or on busy roads with lots of cars, buses and heavy trucks.
With all of those sources around, how do we know when the air is safe and when it’s not? It’s vital information that Langston Verdin, founder of MKE Fresh Air Collective, wants everybody to have. The collective has been working to install neighborhood air monitors across the city. Amy meets Langston at the site of his very first air monitor, at his old duplex in Washington Heights.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest : Langston Verdin, Founder, MKE Fresh Air Collective, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Background reading: * Learn more about the MKE Fresh Air Collective * Study shows Wisconsin has one of the largest racial disparities in the nation for exposure to dangerous air pollution particles * New Analysis: Proposed EPA power plant rules would save Wisconsin millions in healthcare-related costs
Like ‘State of Change?’ Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
Endangered Rusty Patched Bumble Bee nest discovered in Milwaukee County
Before the 1990s, they were everywhere in Wisconsin and beyond. Native Rusty Patched Bumblebees nested and foraged across 28 states and parts of Canada. Then the population hit a sudden, rapid decline. By 2017, the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee had become so scarce it was the first bee listed as a federally endangered species. In this episode, a walk deep into the Wisconsin woods for the rarest of discoveries: a nest of Rusty Patched Bumblebee queens. Amy looks at what it's going to take to bring our bees back and meet the dedicated experts and volunteers who are working hard to save our pollinators.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Elizabeth Braatz, Bumble Bee Brigade Coordinator and Terrestrial Insect Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Jay Watson, Terrestrial Insect Ecologist, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Halley Minser, Restoration Ecologist, Milwaukee County Parks
Background Reading: Wisconsin Bumble Bee Brigade
Saving Wisconsin's Native Pollinators
Corn Ethanol vs. Solar: A Land Use Comparison
Milwaukee County Parks: Conservation
It feels like momentum is growing behind rooftop solar in Wisconsin. Federal tax incentives from the Inflation Reduction Act, Focus on Energy rebates, and falling prices could finally push us out of the bottom half of states when it comes to home solar. Except some utilities in Wisconsin appear to be pushing back.
In this episode, a look plans from MG&E and Alliant Energy that could slow adoption of rooftop solar in Wisconsin. FInd out what you can do to protect solar in your community.
Net metering. It doesn’t sound that exciting, but it’s actually one of the biggest incentives for families and small businesses to go solar. When your rooftop panels produce more energy than you can use, that energy goes into the grid, and your utility credits you for it. Now, MG&E and Alliant Energy are taking aim at that net metering incentive. Both are seeking approval from the Public Service Commission to drastically change the way they treat customers who install solar panels.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Chelsea Chandler, Clean Wisconsin Climate, Energy & Air Program Director
Ciaran Gallagher, Clean Wisconsin Energy & Air Manager
Background Reading: Take Action: Tell the PSC to Protect Rooftop Solar
Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050
Three big things: Transitioning to Clean Energy in Wisconsin
Beach closures, fish kills, green lakes. They are unfortunate signs of summer in Wisconsin. A big reason: untreated animal waste. Large dairies can produce as much waste as a small city. It's not only hard to deal with, it's dangerous if it gets into our water. Animal manure is one of the biggest sources of water pollution in Wisconsin.
Now, some of Wisconsin's largest dairies are suing the state, trying to limit oversight of the way they handle animal waste. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce quietly filed the lawsuit just before Memorial Day weekend on behalf of the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance, a lobbying group representing a number of large concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
In this episode, Amy talks with Clean Wisconsin water and agriculture program director Sara Walling and attorney Evan Feinauer to find out what the lawsuit means for Wisconsin’s water resources and public health.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guests: Sara Walling, Clean Wisconsin Water & Agriculture Program Director
Evan Feinauer, Clean Wisconsin Attorney
Background Reading: Dangerous lawsuit puts water protections at risk
Clean Wisconsin wins pair of landmark state Supreme Court cases
It’s no secret, Wisconsin has been rapidly losing its small family farms, and with them, a way of life that’s defined much of our state for more than a century. But there is a lifeline coming.
About 30 miles outside of Lake Geneva, Amy meets Jay Wendt to take a long walk on a farm that’s been in his wife’s family for decades. These days, the family is joining farmers across Wisconsin who are choosing to lease some of their land for solar.
Host:
Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Jay Wendt, farmer, Dean Kincaid, Inc.
Background Reading: Analysis reveals solar farms produce 100 times more energy per acre than corn ethanol
Wind and solar emerge as cheapest options for powering Wisconsin
Wisconsin’s Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050
Don’t believe everything you read on Facebook. Everybody knows that, but somehow misinformation still spreads like wildfire on social media, especially when it comes to climate change and clean energy like wind and solar. A sea of misinformation is getting in the way of badly-needed clean energy projects.
Where are the false claims coming from, and why do people believe them? In this episode, what you can do to battle back – and recognize when disinformation is working on you.
Host:
Amy Barrilleaux
Guest:
Dr. Sedona Chinn, assistant professor of Life Sciences Communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Background Reading:
Politicization and Polarization in Climate Change News Content, 1985-2017
Wind and solar emerge as cheapest options for powering Wisconsin
Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050
Some rural communities in Wisconsin are pushing back against wind & solar, but it doesn't have to be that way. Find out how you can help stop a clean energy backlash.
To reach our climate goals, Wisconsin needs to build one major wind project and three to four large solar farms every year for the next few decades. But a wave of pushback could be coming. Some Wisconsin communities are working to pass ordinances making it harder to build those clean energy projects. It’s something happening across our region.
In this episode we talk with Dr. Sarah Mills from the University of Michigan who’s been working in rural communities as they respond to the clean energy projects that are cropping up in their backyards.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dr. Sarah Mills, University of Michigan senior project manager and lecturer
Background Reading: Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050
Analysis reveals solar farms produce 100 times more energy than ethanol
Modeling shows Koshkonong solar farm will improve the health for nearby waterways
On a hilltop in southern Wisconsin, a small brewery, long famous for its beer, is making headlines for a very different reason. Since last fall, New Glarus Brewing has been capturing more than 330 pounds of carbon dioxide (a bi-product of beer making) every hour of operation and reusing it. Join co-founder and master brewer Dan Carey for a tour.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dan Carey, co-founder and master brewer, New Glarus Brewing
Background Reading: New Glarus Brewing: Our Story
Supporting Climate-Smart Agriculture
Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050
How can you make a difference in the face of a problem as big as climate change? Maybe it’s about starting with what you can control, and showing others what’s possible. In this episode we travel to New Glarus Brewing, which has made a fundamental shift in its operations that has nothing to with selling more beer.
On a hilltop in southern Wisconsin, a small brewery, long famous for its beer, is making headlines for a very different reason. Since last fall, New Glarus Brewing has been capturing more than 330 pounds of carbon dioxide (a bi-product of beer making) every hour of operation and reusing it. Join co-founder and master brewer Dan Carey for a tour.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dan Carey, co-founder and master brewer, New Glarus Brewing
Background Reading:
New Glarus Brewing: Our Story
Supporting Climate-Smart Agriculture
Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero by 2050
We’re hearing it more and more: Solar farms in Wisconsin are taking away prime farmland used for food. But it turns out, a million acres of farmland in Wisconsin are already being used energy production by growing corn for ethanol. A quarter of all the corn grown in our state is processed into ethanol. Nationwide, it’s 45%.
But which land use produces the most energy per acre, corn or solar? And how much land do we really need for solar in Wisconsin to end our reliance on coal and gas? Hear from Clean Wisconsin Science Program Director Paul Mathewson, Ph.D., about his latest analysis that’s been getting a lot of attention.
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Dr. Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Background Reading: * Corn Ethanol vs. Solar: A Land Use Comparison * Wisconsin's Roadmap to Net Zero report * Modeling shows Koshkonong Solar Energy Center will improve the health of nearby waterways * Clean Wisconsin Science Program page
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Six years ago, families in Marinette and Peshtigo, Wis., got the news that would change everything, for them, and eventually the whole state. PFAS from firefighting foam produced for years at nearby Tyco Fire Products had infiltrated groundwater, creeks, streams and drinking water wells across the area. Now University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers say they’ve linked contamination in Lake Michigan's Green Bay to Tyco.
But it’s an issue that goes far beyond Green Bay. PFAS have been found in water bodies and drinking water sources across the state, including Eau Claire, La Crosse, Madison, Rhinelander, Marshfield, Manitowoc and Wausau, often near airports and airbases where training with firefighting foam has gone on for decades. While two types of PFAS chemicals called PFOA and PFOS have been phased out in the U.S. and will soon be regulated in drinking water by the EPA, there are thousands more, many of which are still widely used in all kinds of consumer products.
Hear what needs to happen next to get a handle on growing PFAS contamination across Wisconsin and the world.
Guests:
Dr. Christy Remucal, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at UW-Madison.
Dr. Paul Mathewson, Science Program Director, Clean Wisconsin
Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Background Reading
Find out more about PFAS contamination in Wisconsin
Read the latest PFAS Fish Consumption Advisories for Wisconsin
View an interactive map of PFAS contamination sites in Wisconsin
Like “State of Change”? Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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What does the We Energies rate case tell us about how Wisconsin energy companies make money?
Spoiler Alert: It’s not by promoting energy efficiency.
We Energies customers across Wisconsin are bracing for higher bills. The company is asking the Public Service Commission to approve a large rate hike, insisting its investment in new solar and wind infrastructure is driving the increase. But We Energies customers are still paying off a $2 billion construction price tag for the company’s Oak Creek coal plant completed in 2011, and they’ll keep paying long after it’s shut down in two years.
The Oak Creek coal plant may be a burden for customers, but it was a windfall for We Energies’ shareholders. Experts say that points to a big problem with the way energy utilities in Wisconsin make money.
Hear from Clean Wisconsin attorney Katie Nekola about what has to change – and find out and what other states are doing to bring power to the people in the face of rising bills.
Find out more about Clean Wisconsin's legal work at the Public Service Commission here: https://www.cleanwisconsin.org/our-work/legal-action/
Episode Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Katie Nekola, General Counsel, Clean Wisconsin
What does the We Energies rate case tell us about how Wisconsin energy companies make money?
Spoiler Alert: It’s not by promoting energy efficiency.
We Energies customers across Wisconsin are bracing for higher bills. The company is asking the Public Service Commission to approve a large rate hike, insisting its investment in new solar and wind infrastructure is driving the increase. But We Energies customers are still paying off a $2 billion construction price tag for the company’s Oak Creek coal plant completed in 2011, and they’ll keep paying long after it’s shut down in two years.
The Oak Creek coal plant may be a burden for customers, but it was a windfall for We Energies’ shareholders. Experts say that points to a big problem with the way energy utilities in Wisconsin make money.
Hear from Clean Wisconsin attorney Katie Nekola about what has to change – and find out and what other states are doing to bring power to the people in the face of rising bills.
Find out more about Clean Wisconsin's legal work at the Public Service Commission here: https://www.cleanwisconsin.org/our-work/legal-action/
Episode Host: Amy Barrilleaux
Guest: Katie Nekola, General Counsel, Clean Wisconsin
How often do we think about the food we eat and its impact on climate?
A new food product called Kernza® perennial grain is part of a major effort to fight climate change by changing what we plant and eat. But can Kernza really find a place on dinner tables – and in cereal bowls –across Wisconsin? In this episode, we sit down to taste a few samples and learn why changing farming systems is key to helping our climate.
Kernza® is the perennial grain crop from an improved intermediate wheatgrass developed by The Land Institute in Kansas. Research partners in the US, including Wisconsin and Minnesota, and abroad continue to improve the grain.
Thank you to our guests: Nicole Tautges, agro-ecologist with the Michael Field Institute; Valentin Picasso, associate professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Scott Laeser, Clean Wisconsin Water Program Director
Host: Amy Barrilleaux, Clean Wisconsin
Background Reading:
Agriculture is responsible for 15% of Wisconsin’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and that contribution is growing. Find out how natural climate solutions like perennial agriculture can help – and why they’re urgently needed in Wisconsin: cleanwisconsin.org/natural-climate-solutions
Like “State of Change”? Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org.
How often do we think about the food we eat and its impact on climate?
A new food product called Kernza® perennial grain is part of a major effort to fight climate change by changing what we plant and eat. But can Kernza really find a place on dinner tables – and in cereal bowls –across Wisconsin? In this episode, we sit down to taste a few samples and learn why changing farming systems is key to helping our climate.
Kernza® is the perennial grain crop from an improved intermediate wheatgrass developed by The Land Institute in Kansas. Research partners in the US, including Wisconsin and Minnesota, and abroad continue to improve the grain.
Thank you to our guests: Nicole Tautges, agro-ecologist with the Michael Field Institute; Valentin Picasso, associate professor of agronomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; and Scott Laeser, Clean Wisconsin Water Program Director
Host: Amy Barrilleaux, Clean Wisconsin
Background Reading:
Agriculture is responsible for 15% of Wisconsin’s total greenhouse gas emissions, and that contribution is growing. Find out how natural climate solutions like perennial agriculture can help – and why they’re urgently needed in Wisconsin: cleanwisconsin.org/natural-climate-solutions
Like “State of Change”? Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org.
Despite science proving the climate crisis is real, many people are reluctant to take action against it, or even care! In this episode, we break down why that is and how the words we use to talk about climate change and who those words are coming from can influence the way we think about it. We first sit down with Ph.D. student Mikhaila Calice from the Department of Life Sciences Communication at UW-Madison who is researching why some people react differently to the phrase climate change, how our political climate has influenced the way we think about it and what we all can do to bring more people into the fight to protect our future. Later in the episode, we hear from Dr. Andrew Lewandowski, a pediatrician in Madison, who has started communicating climate change to his patients and measuring its effectiveness.
Background Reading: * Learn more about climate change and the work Clean Wisconsin is doing to fight it.
- Read Dr. Andrew Lewandowski's study "Patients value climate change counseling provided by their pediatrician: The experience in one Wisconsin pediatric clinic"
- Clean Wisconsin's Climate Change Mini-Report includes different recommendations that can help move Wisconsin forward on addressing climate change while building healthy communities and a healthy economy for all.
When you think about Wisconsin’s great outdoors, you might picture our lakes and rivers, our hiking trails that lead to breathtaking bluffs and waterfalls, but you might not think about our wetlands.
Even though they cover more than five-million acres of our state, wetlands don’t always top the list of Wisconsin’s most beloved outdoor spaces. But maybe they should, especially considering we’ve lost more than half of our wetlands in just the last century or so.
In this episode, come along with us as we walk through a wetland in south-central Wisconsin with Katie Beilfuss of the Wisconsin Wetland Association to learn about these special places and why people are fighting to keep them protected and preserved.
Climate change is making summers hotter, leaving people without air conditioning in Milwaukee and other cities vulnerable to its dangerous health impacts. Low-income communities and communities of color are often more likely to experience the harsh impacts of severe heat brought by climate change.
In this episode, we travel to the Century City Triangle Neighborhood in Milwaukee where over half of residents do not have air conditioning. We break down the dangers of Milwaukee’s urban heat island effect, why some communities feel the impacts of heat more than others, and what can be done to protect people going forward. Hear from Yvonne McCaskill from the Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association, Clean Wisconsin Milwaukee Program Director Pam Ritger, and Caitlin Rublee from Wisconsin Health Professionals for Climate Action.
Joe and Kathy Weitekamp have lived in the same home for nearly 40 years in the Town of Campbell, but they are just now learning of PFAS contamination in their private well.
And they are not alone.
Recently, La Crosse area residents are discovering PFAS in their drinking water, many over the state's recommended limit of 20 parts per trillion, from firefighting foam used by the city's fire department.
In this episode, we hear how residents are stepping up to advocate for clean water as local governments are slow to take action and how one piece of legislation moving through the state legislature could help not only clean-up current PFAS contamination, but help prevent more in the future.
After years of court battles, the Wisconsin Supreme Court handed environmental advocates in the state a pair of victories today. The Court ruled in two separate cases, each named Clean Wisconsin v. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), that the DNR must exercise its authority to protect Wisconsin’s water resources.
In this episode, Clean Wisconsin staff attorney Evan Feinauer breaks down the ruling in each case and what it means for water protections going forward.
In April, two cases brought by Clean Wisconsin to protect the state's water resources were heard by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. Though these cases are centered around permits issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the implications of the rulings go far beyond the paperwork.
In this episode, Clean Wisconsin’s staff attorney Evan Feinauer briefs us on the details of these cases, breaks down our arguments and explains what the future rulings could mean for water protections in the state.
Background Reading: * Read more from our staff attorney on the two cases recently heard by the State Supreme Court. * Sign-up for Clean Wisconsin’s Action Network. We’ll send you regular updates with opportunities to contact your legislators to protect our air, water and natural heritage.
Like ‘State of Change?’ Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
On Thursday, leaders of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee voted to scrap nearly 400 items in Governor Evers' state budget, including many important water and climate change initiatives.
In this episode, Clean Wisconsin's President & CEO Mark Redsten breaks down what environmental protections were scrapped from the $91 billion dollar proposed budget, the message sent from Republican legislators and the future of these crucial clean water and clean energy initiatives.
Background Reading: * Take action: tell the Joint Finance Committee and your elected officials to restore Governor Evers' clean water, clean energy and climate change budget items!
-
Sign-up for Clean Wisconsin's Action Network. We’ll send you regular updates with opportunities to contact your legislators to protect our air, water and natural heritage.
Like 'State of Change?' Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
Through electrifying our cars, trucks, buses and other modes of transportation, we can cut carbon emissions and curb climate change in Wisconsin. While carbon emissions from electricity have gone down, carbon emissions from transportation have increased over the last decade and is now the leading contributor of carbon emissions in the United States.
In this episode, we drive around with Clean Wisconsin's Jon Drewsen, an EV owner himself, to talk about the pros and cons of driving an electric vehicle and why it is crucial the state legislature invest in the transition to clean transportation in Wisconsin. We later talk with Kathy Kuntz from Dane County's Office of Energy and Climate Change about the county's accomplishment of having the most EVs on the road in the state and what needs to happen in Wisconsin to help increase the demand of electric vehicles. We also speak with Ned Noel, a senior planner with the City of Eau Claire, to learn about the importance of investing in EV infrastructure now so municipalities and the state can be ready for the future.
Background Reading: * Learn about the work Clean Wisconsin is doing to help advocate for investments in clean transportation and support statewide electric vehicle infrastructure here. * Read more from Clean Wisconsin's Scott Blankman on why electric vehicles must be the future of travel in Wisconsin. * Read the City of Eau Claire's Electric Vehicle Roadmap.
Like 'State of Change?' Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
Energy efficiency may not be as flashy as electric vehicles or solar panels, but it is an important step that all Wisconsinites can take to save energy and save money.
In this episode, Clean Wisconsin's Climate Solutions Director Chelsea Chandler explains how residents and business owners have a great tool in their tool box when it comes to being more energy efficient, and that is the statewide program Focus on Energy. It is a program that provides Wisconsin state residents and businesses with resources, incentives and support to implement energy-efficiency and renewable energy projects.
Later in the show, we talk with Isaac Showaki, the president of Octopi Brewing in Waunakee, Wisconsin, about how using Focus on Energy has helped make his business more energy efficient and saved him money in the long run.
Background Reading: * Tell your state legislators and the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee: Support increasing our investment in Focus on Energy in the budget here.
- Learn all about the Focus on Energy program and its benefits for all Wisconsinites!
- Read how Clean Wisconsin is working toward a clean energy future here.
- Clean Wisconsin's Climate Change Mini-Report includes different recommendations that can help move Wisconsin forward on addressing climate change while building healthy communities and a healthy economy for all.
Like "State of Change?" Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
It's that time of the year when the days get warmer and Wisconsinites start their spring cleaning. For some, that means re-sealing their driveways, but certain pavement sealants can be harmful to both the environment and public health due to having high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH.
In this episode, we sit down with Clean Wisconsin's water resource specialist Ezra Meyer and staff scientist Paul Mathewson to explain what PAHs are and how certain pavement sealants are toxic to the landscape and the health of Wisconsinites. We also talk with the former mayor of Port Washington to discuss what the town did to help curb PAH exposure and what the state government can do, as well.
Background Reading * Clean Wisconsin is a leading voice to end the use of high-PAH pavement sealants around the state. Read more on how they impact residents and the environment here. * Read more from Paul Mathewson how high-PAH pavement sealants affect public health. * Tip when looking for alternatives to high-PAH pavement sealants: Tar can have a lot of different names, and some other byproducts can have very high levels of PAHs. To be safe, check the “Material Safety Data Sheet” of the product (try searching online) and avoid anything including CAS #’s 64742-90-1, 65996-92-1, 65996-93-2, 65996-89-6, 69013-21-4, or 8007-45-2.
Like our podcast? Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
On February 16th, Gov. Tony Evers outlined his $91 billion dollar 2021-2023 biennial budget. Despite the many challenges our state is facing right now with the COVID-19 pandemic, impacts from climate change and many residents struggling without clean drinking water, the governor's budget includes strong clean energy and clean water initiatives.
We sit down with Clean Wisconsin’s Director of Government Relations Carly Michiels to break down what exactly is in the governor’s budget, what happens next with the Joint Finance Committee and the future of the governor's environmental priorities.
Background reading:
- Read Carly's latest blog post that goes into greater detail about the governor's environmental priorities in the budget.
- Take a look at our press statement we released following the budget announcement.
Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your
inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
With the recent election of President Joe Biden, there is a new focus on strengthening environmental protections and building the momentum to take action on climate change at the federal level. We’re also seeing leadership and opportunities for climate action in Wisconsin.
In today’s episode, we sit down with Clean Wisconsin’s Climate Solutions Director Chelsea Chandler to dive into how climate has become a winning political issue, the new momentum for climate action in various levels of government and what it all means in terms of opportunities to advance climate solutions in Wisconsin.
Background Reading:
Read the Biden-Harris administration's statement on the executive orders signed in the first days of Joe Biden's presidency to tackle climate change.
Learn more about Clean Wisconsin's recommendations on what we can do now to tackle climate change in our policy team's mini-report "Strategies for Climate Action in Wisconsin."
Read the full report from the Governor's Task Force on Climate Change to learn more about their policy recommendations.
Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps
other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your
inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Imagine turning on your faucet to get a glass of water or to fill up a pot for dinner but that water is contaminated with dangerously high levels of nitrates. That's the reality for hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites who use groundwater as their drinking water source through private wells or public water systems, limiting their access to clean drinking water and putting their health at risk.
In this episode, we sit down with Clean Wisconsin's water program director Scott Laeser to learn where the nitrate contamination is coming from, who is most at risk and why the solutions are so complex.
Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps
other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your
inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
2020 has been a challenging year as the coronavirus pandemic continues to surge across Wisconsin and the rest of the country. Despite having to transition working from home during these difficult times, Clean Wisconsin has been able to continue its work to protect our environment and public health.
In this episode, we speak with Clean Wisconsin President and CEO Mark Redsten about the organization’s big accomplishments in the past year, as well as priorities for 2021. We also sit down with Clean Wisconsin’s new content manager and producer of State of Change Molly Dove to talk about the exciting episodes planned for the podcast starting in January.
Background reading:
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Summaries of Clean Wisconsin’s priorities centered around clean air, clean water, clean energy and climate change
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Clean Wisconsin’s staff scientist Paul Matthewson’s research on health and economic impacts of nitrate pollution in Wisconsin
- Gov. Evers’ Task Force on Climate Change recommendations for legislative action and policies
Subscribe to State of Change on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps
other people find us.
You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your
inbox at www.cleanwisconsin.org/email
Like State of Change? Help support our podcast and our work to protect Wisconsin’s environment at www.cleanwisconsin.org/donate
The ongoing crisis of PFAS pollution in Wisconsin drinking water centers around one primary source: firefighting foams. While some are trying to take aim at tackling this major threat to public health, others are standing in the way.
In this episode of the podcast, we talk with our policy expert, Carly Michiels, about industry efforts to upend emergency rules for 'forever chemical' pollution, and what it could mean for drinking water in public health around the state.
Background:
In Episode 2, we talk more in-depth with Carly about PFAS pollution in Marinette, which has been the epicenter of 'forever chemical' pollution in Wisconsin.
According to the DNR, roughly 2 out of every 3 fire departments have PFAS-laden firefighting foams, while 62% of fire departments don't have any policy about how to handle or dispose of the products.
Take Action:
Tell the Natural Resources Board to put public health over profit and pass these emergency rules at their October Board meeting.
Two years ago, the small village of Mazomanie, in Dane County's northwestern corner, saw the small creek that runs through the center of their town grow into a raging river as record rains fell in an unprecedented storm.
After it was all over, the region saw more rain in a 24 hour period than has ever fallen in Wisconsin before, costing small communities like Mazomanie homes, businesses, and millions of dollars in damage.
The science community has long pointed to climate change as a major reason for an increased heavy rain events leading to more flooding. But local communities like Dane County--and now state officials--are taking action to limit the impacts of climate change, as well as tackle the root cause: carbon emissions.
In this episode of State of Change, we talk with the Mazomanie Village Administrator about his experience with the 2018 flooding that rocked his community. We also talk with Dane County Executive Joe Parisi about Dane County's leadership in local action on climate change, and we chat with Chelsea Chandler, our new Climate Solutions Director, about efforts at the state level through the Governor's Task Force on Climate Change.
Background reading:
--A post on our blog on Dane County's Climate Action Plan that was released earlier this year.
--Our science team created this local climate action map.
--They also looked at whether we're seeing more heavy rain events in Wisconsin.
--A post on our blog in the aftermath of Dane County's record rainfall and devastating flooding
--Great collection of photos from the Wisconsin State Journal documenting the aftermath of flooding in Dane County
A special thanks to Peter Huebner of Mazomanie, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi, and Chelsea Chandler of Clean Wisconsin.
In March 2020, a group of Wisconsin residents traveled to Washington, D.C., to advocate lawmakers in Congress to support funding and protections for our Great Lakes.
These Wisconsin residents come from many different backgrounds and communities along Lakes Michigan and Superior, but one thing connected them all: water, and the aim to protect it from the threats brought by invasive species, pollution and climate change.
In this episode of the podcast, we head to nation’s capital to meet up with three of these advocates and learn that human connection may be our best hope of protecting our Great Lakes.
Background reading:
You can read more about the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and how it helps Wisconsin’s Great Lakes communities at the DNR’s website.
In January, the DNR and EPA announced they are spending over $29 million over the next 8 years to address polluted sediment in the Milwaukee Estuary Area of Concern. The goal is accelerate the cleanup of the estuary and to delist it as an Area of Concern.
Take Action: Tell members of Congress to support funding for clean water and public health in COVID-19 response legislation.
A special thanks to Brenda Coley and Joe Fitzgerald at Milwaukee Water Commons.
Learn more about the Healing Our Waters—Great Lakes Coalition.
Marinette is defined by water. From industry like shipbuilding to its location where the Menominee River empties into the Bay of Green Bay, water is at the center of life there.
But it's also been the Wisconsin community at the center of a drinking water pollution crisis from a class of chemicals called PFAS, which has been linked to serious health issues including cancer. Residents in the area have struggled to get access to clean drinking water after it was found that the chemical had been leaching into private wells from a nearby firefighting training facility.
Despite this crisis being a top issue for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, the State Assembly failed to pass meaningful legislation that had bi-partisan support before adjourning for the year.
We talk with Oliver Redsten about how this issue is impacting the residents of Marinette. We also catch up with Carly Michiels, our government relations director, about how the Assembly failed to pass bold legislation to address this crisis, and what it could mean as more communities around the state discover PFAS pollution in their drinking water.
Background reading:
- Read Oliver’s story about his journey to Marinette to understand the PFAS issue that has impacted many residents in the area.
- Read up on the CLEAR Act and why we called on lawmakers to support this legislation.
- Here’s an explainer on PFAS pollution and how it’s impacted communities around the state.
You can also send a message to the State Senate to tell them to veto the Assembly’s failed attempt at addressing PFAS pollution.
Special thanks to Chuck and Cindy Boyle of S.O.H2O; Ruth and John Kowalski of Marinette; Darsi Foss of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources; and Carly Michiels of Clean Wisconsin.
…
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You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
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Superior, Wisconsin, was once home to booming industries, which have all but disappeared. But recently, a new opportunity for economic development came knocking: a 625 megawatt gas-fired power plant on the banks of the Nemadji River, which feeds into Lake Superior.
While for some this sounds promising, for others in Superior and nearby communities, there are serious concerns: not only would the plant contribute billions of tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime, contributing to climate change, but it would also require destroying wetlands along the river, the very wetlands that help to reduce the flooding that have ravaged this community in recent years from heavy rain events.
Plus, the plant would require more water each day than the entire City of Superior uses per day, threatening to put a strain on the groundwater many people rely on.
In this episode, we go to the banks of the Nemadji River in Superior to talk with local residents and learn about what this gas plant could mean for the area if it is built.
Learn more about this proposed project and sign up for updates about ways you can help block this plant at www.cleanwisconsin.org/stop-nemadji
Background reading:
- We bust the myth that gas plants help support renewable energy, as the utilities behind this proposed plant have argued.
- We don’t get into it in the episode, but a big reason why we don’t need gas plants is because of the rise of energy storage solutions. We
unpack how batteries will play a role in Wisconsin’s energy future. - Katie Nekola mentions that the lifespan of this plant conflicts with Gov. Evers’ goal to have Wisconsin carbon-free by 2050, which he announced in August 2019. We delve into the governor’s goal and why it matters.
- You can watch our video on this issue, which features many of the people you heard in the episode.
Special thanks to Dr. Jonathan Patz of the Global Health
Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Pastor Bridget Jones of Bethel Lutheran Church in Superior; Sandy Gokee of the Red Cliff Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa; and Katie Nekola of Clean Wisconsin.
…
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Be sure to rate our show and give us a review. It helps
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You can learn more about Clean Wisconsin and our work at www.cleanwisconsin.org
Sign up to get the latest news from Clean Wisconsin in your
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Wisconsin's environment is changing faster and more dramatically than anyone expected. But there's another kind of change happening, too. Around the state, there's a growing movement to try and stop the dangerous trends before it's too late. From Clean Wisconsin, this is State of Change, a podcast telling the stories of Wisconsin's rapidly changing environment and the people who are trying to do something about it.