Forwarded from Jerry Woolpy

I case you didn’t hear about this Wisconsin tragedy at the hands of Republicans:
JW

From: Governor Jim Doyle [mailto:governor@wisconsin.gov] Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2005 7:43 AMSubject: Stewardship Fund and Smart Growth

Dear Friends:We have communicated in the past about my efforts to protect Wisconsin's precious natural environment, so I wanted to let you know about two actions by the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee late last week that threaten our state's environment.The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee has voted to essentially bankrupt the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship fund, and to repeal Wisconsin's Smart Growth Act. I supported both programs in my 2005-2007 budget proposal.As someone who cares deeply about our state's environment, you know about my administration's aggressive use of Stewardship funds to purchase 42,000 acres of pristine wild areas all across Wisconsin in order to protect these areas for our children and grandchildren.In a cynical rejection of the spirit and intent of the Stewardship program, the Joint Finance Committee has recommended using these funds to purchase land that the state already owns. By forcing the Stewardship Fund to buy land that the state already owns, the fund won't have money to buy new land. This plan allows these legislators to claim that they did not cut the Stewardship program like they did in the last budget, when in fact their move has the same impact. After all the Stewardship funds are used up, there would be no funds available to protect land for parks or other conservation purposes. This vote is nothing more than a thinly-veiled attack on the Stewardship program.In another action, the Joint Finance Committee voted to repeal the Smart Growth Act that helps communities develop plans that prevent urban sprawl and development that can harm Wisconsin's environment and, ultimately, our quality of life. Repealing the Smart Growth law and cutting the funding for it would kill the incentive for communities to work together to carefully balance economic growth and environmental protections. The Republican majority voted to kill the program over the objections of a broad coalition of bipartisan legislators and business, and environmental and local government leaders.If you want to let your legislators know that you oppose these harmful actions, you should call the Legislative Hotline at 1-800-362-9472.Thank you for your support on these issues. Please feel free to contact my office in the future any time I can be of help to you.Sincerely,Jim DoyleGovernor JED: rbwP.S.

-- Many of you have expressed concerns about the "Job Creation Act II" legislation. I agree with those who say we shouldn't unnecessarily limit the ability of the state to bring public nuisance actions against those who violate our environmental laws. We have proven that we can promote economic growth and create new, high-paying jobs in Wisconsin while ensuring strong protections for the environment.