Don’t sacrifice our environment for Foxconn

Sometimes when you want something badly enough, you are willing to give up just about anything to get it. That seems to be the case with Governor Scott Walker, who is understandably enthusiastic about a deal that could lead Foxconn to build a $10 billion plant and hire some 10,000 people. OF course getting the deal done will require some sacrifices from the state, including a $3 billion incentive package. But now we are learning that Walker is willing to ignore the state’s environmental concerns to land Foxconn. The deal Walker wants lawmakers to approve would exempt the company from many protections for the state’s natural resources. Walker wants lawmakers to exempt the company from state laws which could harm our air, water and wildlife. The Governor wants to allow Foxconn to build without first filing an environmental impact statement or having to fill in wetlands. But no matter how big the carrot this company may be dangling, we shouldn’t be willing to sacrifice clean air and water to get them here. This company doesn’t even know where it is going to build yet, so it is premature to start exempting them from environmental regulations. We have a right to know how much of our water the company plans to use, or what pollutants it plans to release. Economic development and protecting Wisconsin’s natural environment should not be mutually exclusive.