— An advocacy group called Lakes at Stake Wisconsin wants to ban “wake enhanced” boating on most lakes in the state, arguing the large waves it creates are harming lakefront property values and tourism.
The group’s president, Paul Gardetto, is a 29-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force who owns lakefront property in Waukesha County. In an interview Friday, he discussed the effort to bar enhanced wake sports on Wisconsin lakes smaller than 1,500 acres. That would apply to all but 77 of the state’s more than 15,000 lakes, according to Gardetto.
“We believe that this is a statewide issue … Our approach is to lobby our legislators, and establish appropriate restrictions that allow people to enjoy their sport responsibly,” he told WisBusiness.com.
He stressed that the bipartisan group — made up of property owners, conservationists, anglers and others — doesn’t want to ban the use of these boats altogether. He acknowledged many boaters have invested a lot of money in their watercraft and wouldn’t like being told they can’t use them anymore.
“It’s when they operate in a mode necessary to create a wave similar to a surf wave on the ocean in Hawaii, that they create these big waves,” he said.
This mode of operation involves having a specially molded hull designed to displace large amounts of water, filling a “water bladder” that adds extra weight to push the back of the boat down into the water, and employing a hydrofoil device that shapes the large wake behind the craft.
“The boats aren’t necessarily big, you know, they’re in the 25-foot range,” he explained. “But they’re just heavy, and they plow in order to create this big wave. So it’s that operation, it’s not the boat itself.”
Along with churning up rotting vegetation on the lake bottom, enhanced wake boating also harms fish habitats and disrupts swimming, canoeing and fishing, Gardetto argued. The large waves push lake muck onto the shoreline, causing a bad smell and bringing down the value of lakefront property, he said.
He noted lakefront value is heavily influenced by lake clarity and the quality of the shoreline.
“Renters want a nice cabin on a lake with a natural shoreline, but in order to mitigate the shoreline erosion, owners are having to armor their shoreline … because of the wake boats,” he said. “This wake enhanced operation has an impact on property values and revenue streams.”
He compared these boats with monster trucks, adding they “have a right to enjoy their sport, but they can’t just come plowing through my picnic area.”
The group has hired Steve Lyons, president of SJL Government Affairs and Communications in Madison, as a lobbyist. It’s funded through donations by stakeholders from across the state, according to Gardetto.
“It’s amazing, in the month or so we’ve existed and the couple weeks we’ve been public, the people calling and emailing and writing checks,” he said. “Nothing that says ‘I’m on board’ more than writing a check. And we’re getting a surprising turnout.”
— While Lakes at Stake Wisconsin lobbies the Capitol, another legislative effort led by Republicans in the state is approaching the issue from a different angle.
Last month, Rep. Rob Swearingen of Rhinelander and Sen. Mary Felzkowski of Irma circulated a bill for cosponsorship that would prohibit wake sports on bodies of water smaller than 50 acres, and would restrict wake sports activities within 200 feet of a shoreline or water-based structure, according to the memo.
They highlight a “significant surge” in the popularity of water sports like wakesurfing and wakeboarding in recent years.
“While these activities add to our state’s vibrant recreational tapestry, there are pressing safety and conservation concerns that we must address,” they wrote in the memo. “Evidenced by public input, there is a unanimous understanding that while we embrace these sports, regulations are necessary to create a statewide standard that is amenable for those using and patrolling our waterways.”
But Gardetto argues their bill represents the exact position of the wake boating industry, which maintains these craft have minimal impact as long as they’re operated at least 200 feet from shore, and in at least 10 feet of water.
“Our effort is to regulate the sport, but that bill doesn’t go nearly far enough,” he said Friday. “It doesn’t do anything. You already can’t have a wake on a lake smaller than 50 acres. So it does nothing.”
Still, he said his group isn’t in “kill-the-bill mode,” and called the legislation a “good start” despite disagreeing with its specifics.
“I want to commend the effort of Senator Felzkowski and Representative Swearingen for taking a leadership position on it, however it’s just not nearly enough to protect our lakes … We want to get something done,” he said. “We’re going to work with anybody that has the same goal.”
See the website for Lakes at Stake Wisconsin here: https://www.lakesatstake.org/who-we-are
See more on the effort: https://www.wisbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Lakes-at-Stake-Wisconsin-Press-Release.pdf
See the bill text from Felzkowski and Swearingen: https://www.wisbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/23-3518_1-2.pdf
— A duo of business groups are again calling for the DNR to halt rulemaking on water quality standards, this time as the agency takes another stab at establishing groundwater levels for PFAS.
While the state has per-and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals standards for drinking and surface water, groundwater standards stalled after the Natural Resources Board deadlocked on approving them when it was still under the control of appointees by GOP Gov. Scott Walker.
DNR’s draft analysis of the standards’ economic impact doesn’t total the projected costs. But Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and the Wisconsin Paper Council charge the projections fail to account for costs that would significantly exceed the statutory limit for rulemaking of $10 million or more over any two-year period.
They argue that means the agency must stop the rulemaking process until the DNR has the GOP-run Legislature’s approval to move forward. The Legislature is currently working on legislation aiming to combat PFAS, though Gov. Tony Evers has cast doubts on the proposal over limits to DNR authority.
WMC Director of Environmental & Energy Policy Craig Summerfield in a statement told WisPolitics the proposed standards would “impose incredible costs on Wisconsin businesses and taxpayers,” arguing the price tag could easily exceed $1 billion.
See the full story at WisPolitics: https://www.wispolitics.com/2023/231103report/#story-3
— Janesville construction firm JP Cullen has been announced as the first local tenant in Alliant Energy’s Janesville Community Solar garden.
The business has bought 10% of the 9,000 solar blocks at the project, which is being built by the Madison-based utility on county-owned property. Alliant plans to start construction next spring, with full operation slated for the end of 2024.
Once operational, the solar facility will be able to power up to 1,800 homes at full output, according to a release.
“By supporting this, we are not only reducing our carbon footprint but also reaping the benefits of clean, affordable energy,” JP Cullen Co-President George Cullen said in a statement.
While JP Cullen is the first local company to sign on, more than a third of the solar garden blocks have been purchased since the project was announced in April, the release shows. For each solar block subscribers purchase — at $337 each — they will receive monthly electricity bill credits, according to the release.
Those credits will start to roll out once the garden project comes online and will continue over its 20-year timeframe. Plus, anchor tenants like JP Cullen will get renewable energy credits to offset their own emissions, Alliant says.
The utility has an existing community solar garden in Fond du Lac that went online at the start of 2022.
See the release: https://www.wisbusiness.com/2023/alliant-energy-jp-cullen-invests-as-anchor-tenant-in-alliant-energys-solar-garden-in-janesville/
See more on Alliant’s community solar projects: https://www.alliantenergy.com/cleanenergy/whatyoucando/communitysolar
<br><b><i>Top headlines from the Health Care Report…</b></i>
— Scientists in Madison and Taiwan are advancing a potential therapy for heart attack patients that involves regrowing damaged heart muscles.
<i>For more of the most relevant news on COVID-19, reports on groundbreaking health research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics.com and WisBusiness.com.</i>
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#TOP STORIES#
# GOP bill would ban merchant code specific to gun shops
# Woman sues UW Hospital, claiming gender-affirming surgeries done without consent
# Madison’s property taxes and its financial future, explained
#TOPICS#
# AGRIBUSINESS
– Wisconsin lawmakers propose new bills to help farmers
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=977&yr=2023
# CONSTRUCTION
– Evers greenlights money for 5 projects rejected in state budget
– Market-rate apartments proposed for Milwaukee’s Granville neighborhood get support
# EDUCATION
– Julie Dawson named organic plant breeding chair
http://wisconsinagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=976&yr=2023
# ENVIRONMENT
– Survey finds PFAS in 71% of shallow private wells across Wisconsin
– Wisconsin DNR forecasts hunters may bag fewer deer during the gun deer season
# FOOD AND BEVERAGE
– El Chisme Co-op wraps hot dogs with bacon and gossip
– Women behind the bar: A brief history of Wisconsin’s bartenders
# HEALTH CARE
– Healing body and soul in the Congo
# LEGAL
– Milwaukee law firm to open St. Louis-area office, its 13th nationwide
# MANAGEMENT
– Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce names new president and CEO
# MANUFACTURING
– Rockwell CEO says firm landed work for another battery gigafactory project
– Milwaukee’s Stellantis facility would close under tentative UAW agreement
# NONPROFIT
– J.J. Keller Foundation, based in Neenah, passes leadership to next generation as Marne Keller-Krikava takes reins
# REAL ESTATE
– Milwaukee fire chief angry about another call to former Northridge Mall building
– Developer plans five-story mixed-use project at Olympia Fields in Oconomowoc
# REGULATION
– Milwaukee council adopts 2024 city budget that ups property tax levy https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/03/2024-budget-to-be-adopted-by-milwaukee-council-lups-tax-levy-fees/71306712007/
# RETAIL
– Kohl’s downtown store is open, ready for holiday shopping season
# SPORTS
– A look at what needs to be replaced, upgraded at American Family Field
# TOURISM
– Renovated bowling alley, movie theater and entertainment center at Bayshore opens
# TRANSPORTATION
– Port Milwaukee gets $9.3 million grant for improvements at new maritime export facility
– SS Badger Lake Michigan car ferry could be a step closer to return. Here’s the latest.
# UTILITIES
– Public Service Commission rejects MG&E proposal to change net metering
# PRESS RELEASES
<i>See these and other press releases:
https://www.wisbusiness.com/press-releases/ </i>
Hotel Verdant: Opens in downtown Racine
Hudson Henry Baking Co.: Under new ownership: A delicious journey from Virginia to Wisconsin
