Walker DNR Appointment a Brazen Political Maneuver Print
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Written by Wisconsin Conservation Voters, Ryan Billingham   
Friday, 01 December 2017 19:48

jake-curtisAnti-Environmental Lawyer Now Head Legal Counsel at DNR.


MADISON – Governor Scott Walker accelerated his dismantling of the state’s Department of Natural Resources and its ability to protect the state’s environment this week by appointing as its chief lawyer longtime political operative Jake Curtis.

Curtis, a partisan ideologue who has openly advocated for policies that will destroy Wisconsin’s natural resources, now represents what was once one of the country’s finest conservation agencies.

Curtis has recently supported efforts to allow America’s most toxic industry, sulfide mining, to run roughshod over Wisconsin’s waters, and supported hiding evidence of air pollution in Sheboygan County.

He also has a long background in politics. He served U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz – who has said science doesn’t support climate change – in his failed bid for the White House. He also worked as policy director for state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville). Stroebel is co-author of recent legislation that would allow hundreds of pollutants back into the air Wisconsin kids breathe.

Executive Director Kerry Schumann had this to say on the Curtis appointment:

“It is clear Gov. Walker won’t stop until the DNR is nothing but a political tool built for his corporate puppet masters who care nothing about Wisconsin’s environment or the health of Wisconsin families. Jake Curtis has no place in an agency that requires scientific objectivity and experience in conservation law. This is another sad chapter in the Walker era. From acid mining to air pollution to dirtier lakes and rivers, the damage Walker and his administration are perpetrating against the people of Wisconsin is brutal, morally reprehensible, and endangers generations of Wisconsinites.”

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Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to electing conservation leaders, holding decision makers accountable, and encouraging lawmakers to champion conservation policies that effectively protect Wisconsin's public health and natural resources.

You can follow legislation impacting natural resources on our Conservation Vote Tracker, a real-time accountability tool that provides you with a complete picture of what conservation issues are in play and how legislators are performing: http://conservationvoters.org/vote-tracker/