by Paul Heinen, Policy Director, Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF)

Clean Water for Wisconsin Press Conference

Clean Water for Wisconsin Press Conference, Nov. 20, 2025

Paul Heinen, WGF’s Policy Director, attended the November 20, 2025 “Clean Water for Wisconsin” press conference. At the event, Legislative Democratic Senators and Representatives spoke about a number of proposals they will be introducing to clean up and protect Wisconsin’s waters and fund other important conservation programs.

The Democrats will be introducing:

• A bill to add $250 million to clean up waters of Wisconsin in the future.
• A bill to add funding to the Freshwater Collaborative. This is a partnership of Wisconsin’s 13 public universities that connects students with hands-on experiences, internships, and collaborative research to train the next generation of water scientists and professionals.
• A bill to increase by $500,000 the funding for the Groundwater Coordinating Council, an interagency group that protects Wisconsin’s vast groundwater resources and funds cutting-edge groundwater research.
• A bill mandating that the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) must provide funding for seed treatment that will help stop sandhill cranes from eating farmers’ crops.
• A bill providing an additional $3.25 million for wolf monitoring and non-lethal methods of abatement.

What happens next?

These bills will be introduced this year. It is uncertain when any hearings may take place. WGF will continue to monitor the legislative schedule and evaluate each proposal.

• View WGF’s State Legislation Tracker here.