Letter to the Editor: Stand Up for Environmental Justice

Mr. [Donald] Freix writes the truth [in the Aug. 26, 2016 letter “The Kitchens File: Environmental Disaster”] and what a dangerous truth it is! Representative Kitchens is truly a representative of the dismal failed reality of the Walker Administration. Rep. Kitchens follows Governor Walker’s party agenda in a “lockstep” manner without any apparent concern for what is happening to our environment or to the small farmers, rural and city dwellers living in Walker’s Koch-driven “wonderland.”

The Walker agenda has been driven by Charles and David Koch, who donated over $11 million to support Walker’s campaigns. Koch industries also supported the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).

With the support of the Koch brothers and ALEC, Walker rebuffed the EPA’s climate change rules, fired lead scientists at the Wisconsin DNR, opened wetlands to mining and steadfastly ignored the growing health, welfare and safety threats for all citizens in Kewaunee County from dangerously polluted wells caused in large part by the 16 massive industrial dairy farms (CAFOs) located in Kewaunee “karst” countryside.

The CAFO industry in Kewaunee County represents the equivalency of more than one million humans without the benefit of municipal sewer districts. Each mature cow produces as much waste as 18 to 20 humans per day plus the added waste from replacement younger animals. The CAFOs revel in the fact that they receive free water from our aquifers and when hundreds of millions of gallons of aquifer water is highly polluted with animal waste and unknown, unmeasured and undisclosed chemicals, hormones and antibiotic residuals, this dangerous waste is dumped back on karst countryside. The result is increasing pollution of the air, water and soil and this is done with near-total impunity thanks to Gov. Walker and his “lockstep” minions who backed Walker when he blatantly and arrogantly gutted the Groundwater Collaboration Work Group recommendations at the behest of the DBA. Mr. Freix refers to reality in his letter.

We desperately need a people’s representative that has shown by act and deed that he is willing and able to stand up for environmental justice for all and to protect the rights of true family farms that are fighting for survival against corporate takeover of our land and resources. Let us not forget that Mr. [Lynn] Utesch is a small organic farmer that does not need high cap wells, does not depend on monocultures of chemical dependent GMO corn, soy and alfalfa and does believe in job creation for young people yearning to get back to the land as sustainable farmers on the land they love. He is leading the way to the only true future for farming that works with the earth’s natural systems and that respects its citizens rights to clean water, air, soil and social justice and dignity!

Mr. Utesch also believes in a solid public education system that is not threatened by the privatization of education via the for-profit voucher system. We all bear witness what happens when any private industry has no accountability to the taxpayer such as what we are experiencing with the CAFO industry!

Public education of, by, and for all citizens paid for by the taxpayer is another area that needs scrutiny in a timely fashion, especially in view of Rep. Kitchen’s support of yet another taxpayer funded sinkhole of unacceptable practices.

Forward to a livable future for all.

William Iwen

Algoma, Wis.