SB434: Bill Text

LRB-1361/2

RCT&DAK:skg:mkd

1995 - 1996 LEGISLATURE

1995 Senate BILL 434

November 22, 1995 - Introduced by Senators Moore, Burke, George and Risser, cosponsored by Representatives Bock, R. Young, Boyle, Riley and Baldwin. Referred to Committee on Environment and Energy.

SB434,1,12 An Act to renumber 144.955 (1m) (a) to (e); to renumber and amend 146.815 (1); to amend 59.97 (1), 60.61 (2) (a), 62.23 (7) (a), 144.442 (4) (c) 1., 144.955 (intro.) and 146.82 (2) (a) 8.; and to create 1.11 (2) (c) 3m., 15.255 (2), 20.455 (1) (e) and (f), 36.25 (38), 144.442 (9m) (b) 5. c., 144.442 (9m) (c) 8. c., 144.76 (7) (am), 144.955 (1m) (b), 144.957, 146.815 (1) (b), 146.815 (2) (c), 165.35 and 250.04 (3) (b) 5. of the statutes; relating to: the concentration of industrial facilities, requirements for and issuance of environmental permits for certain industrial facilities, enforcement of environmental laws, mitigation of environmental hazards in certain areas, the content of patient health care records, creating an environmental justice board, requiring an annual report on the correlation between certain health problems and the environment, granting rule-making authority and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill creates an environmental justice board (board) in the department of justice. The bill requires the board to study the status of environmental justice in this state. Environmental justice is defined as the state of affairs in which no racial, cultural, ethnic or economic community or sector of the workforce is disproportionately exposed to the health and safety hazards and the economic and aesthetic costs of environmental pollution.

As part of the study of environmental justice, the board is required to prepare an inventory of affected communities in this state. The first inventory must be completed by January 15, 1997. An affected community is a city, village, town, neighborhood or other area that contains or is adjacent to a disproportionately large number of industrial facilities or sites or facilites where wastes have been disposed of that may cause environmental pollution. An industrial facility is a solid or hazardous waste facility or a facility that is required to file toxic chemical release forms under what is commonly known as the community right-to-know law. The requirement to file a toxic chemical release form is triggered by the presence at a facility of a specified amount of certain toxic substances. The bill also requires the board to submit, by January 15, 1999, recommendations for legislation to prevent and mitigate environmental injustice and to promote environmental justice.

Under this bill, beginning on February 1, 1997, and ending on June 30, 2001, the department of natural resources (DNR) may not issue certain types of licenses and permits, including air pollution control permits and water pollution discharge permits, for a proposed industrial facility if the site of the proposed industrial facility is in an affected community or would result in the creation of an affected community, unless there is no feasible alternative site that is not in an affected community and would not create an affected community, the license or permit applicant enters into an agreement with a committe appointed by the governing body of the political subdivision in which the site is located to compensate the affected community and the applicant agrees to implement a pollution prevention program.

The bill requires the board to conduct an education and assistance program to provide information to individuals, groups and local governmental officials in affected communities about the causes of environmental injustice and means to prevent and mitigate environmental injustice and to assist them to prevent and mitigate environmental injustice. The bill also requires the board to administer a program to provide grants to citizen groups and local units of government to promote environmental justice.

Under the bill, persons who apply for certain types of licenses and permits, including air pollution control permits and water pollution discharge permits, for proposed industrial facilities must provide information concerning the potential for public exposure to toxic chemicals through releases from the industrial facilities if the industrial facilities would be located in or would create an affected community. The bill also requires DNR to give priority, in certain programs, to cleanups of environmental pollution at sites located in affected communities or cleanups that would produce reductions in environmental injustice.

Current law requires state agencies to prepare environmental impact statements on proposed major actions that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment. This bill requires each environmental impact statement to include a description of the effect that the proposed action would have on the statewide distribution of industrial facilities and on the concentration of industrial facilities in affected communities. The bill requires DNR to prepare an environmental impact statement for a permit for a proposed industrial facility if construction of the industrial facility would affect or create an affected community.

Currently, hospital inpatient health care records must include, if obtainable, information about the patient's occupation, the industry in which he or she is employed and if there may be a correlation between the patient's health problems and the patient's or his or her parents' occupation.

This bill requires that a hospital inpatient's health care record indicate the presence of facilities that may be sources of environmental pollution in proximity to the patient's home or place of employment. The bill also requires that if the patient's physician reasonably believes that the patient's health problems are related to exposure to environmental pollution, he or she must ensure that the patient's health care record contains specified information about the exposure. The department of health and social services must, under this bill, compile records of health problems related to environmental pollution, conduct studies of the correlation between the incidences of these health problems and the environment in which people having the problems live and work and report its findings annually to the board.

For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

SB434, s. 1 Section 1. 1.11 (2) (c) 3m. of the statutes is created to read:

SB434,3,5 1.11 (2) (c) 3m. The effect that the proposed action and alternatives to the proposed action would have on the statewide distribution of industrial facilities, as defined in s. 165.35 (1) (e), and on the concentration of industrial facilities in affected communities, as defined in s. 165.35 (1) (a);

SB434, s. 2 Section 2. 15.255 (2) of the statutes is created to read:

SB434,3,7 15.255 (2) Environmental justice board. (a) In this subsection:

SB434,3,9 1. "African American" means a person whose ancestors originated in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

SB434,3,13 2. "American Indian" means a person who is enrolled as a member of a federally recognized American Indian tribe or band or who possesses documentation of at least one-fourth American Indian ancestry or documentation of tribal recognition as an American Indian.

SB434,4,2 3. "Asian" means a person whose ancestors originated in Asia south and southeast of the Himalayas and west of Wallace's Line in the Malay Archipelago.

SB434,4,5 4. "Hispanic" means a person of any race whose ancestors originated in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America or South America or whose culture or origin is Spanish.

SB434,4,6 5. "Minority group member" means any of the following:

SB434,4,7 a. An African American.

SB434,4,8 b. An American Indian.

SB434,4,9 c. A Hispanic.

SB434,4,10 d. An Asian.

SB434,4,13 (b) There is created in the department of justice an environmental justice board consisting of the following members appointed by the attorney general for 3-year terms:

SB434,4,14 1. Three residents of affected communities, as defined in s. 165.35 (1) (a).

SB434,4,15 2. Two representatives of political subdivisions serving an affected community.

SB434,4,16 3. Two representatives of industrial facilities, as defined in s. 165.35 (1) (e).

SB434,4,17 4. One civil rights advocate.

SB434,4,18 5. One environmental advocate.

SB434,4,19 6. Two minority group members.

SB434,4,21 (c) The board shall be assisted by a technical advisory committee consisting of the following members:

SB434,5,2 1. A representative of the department of natural resources, a representative of the department of agriculture, trade and consumer protection, a representative of the department of justice, a representative of the department of development and a representative of the department of health and social services, each appointed by the secretary of the respective department.

SB434,5,5 2. Three other members each of whom is a technical expert in a field such as sociology, economics, toxicology, public health or law, appointed by the attorney general.

SB434, s. 3 Section 3. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

SB434, s. 4 Section 4. 20.455 (1) (e) and (f) of the statutes are created to read:

SB434,5,11 20.455 (1) (e) Environmental justice board. Biennially, the amounts in the schedule for the operation of the environmental justice board and the study under s. 165.35 (2).

SB434,5,13 (f) Environmental justice; community grants. Biennially, the amounts in the schedule for environmental justice community grants under s. 165.35 (4).

SB434, s. 5 Section 5. 36.25 (38) of the statutes is created to read:

SB434,5,18 36.25 (38) Environmental justice community education and assistance program. Through the extension, the board shall assist the environmental justice board in implementing the environmental justice community education and assistance program under s. 165.35 (3).

SB434, s. 6 Section 6. 59.97 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

SB434,6,19 59.97 (1) Purpose. It is the purpose of this section to promote the public health, safety, convenience and general welfare; to encourage planned and orderly land use development; to protect property values and the property tax base; to permit the careful planning and efficient maintenance of highway systems; to ensure adequate highway, utility, health, educational and recreational facilities; to recognize the needs of agriculture, forestry, industry and business in future growth; to encourage uses of land and other natural resources which are in accordance with their character and adaptability; to provide adequate light and air, including access to sunlight for solar collectors and to wind for wind energy systems; to encourage the protection of groundwater resources; to preserve wetlands; to conserve soil, water and forest resources; to protect the beauty and amenities of landscape and man-made developments; to provide healthy surroundings for family life; to prevent the concentration of environmentally polluting facilities and activities; and to promote the efficient and economical use of public funds. To accomplish this purpose the county board of any county may plan for the physical development and zoning of territory within the county as set forth in this section and shall incorporate therein the master plan adopted under s. 62.23 (2) or (3) and the official map of any city or village in the county adopted under s. 62.23 (6).

SB434, s. 7 Section 7. 60.61 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read: