2024 Governor's State of the State speeches: on Environment

Josh Green: Impose a Climate Impact Fee on visitors to the islands

Tony Evers: Republicans should release $125M funding to combat PFAS

In Wisconsin, where we want to trust the water coming from our tap, PFAS are a threat to our way of life and our economy. It's why I directed $10 million into a new statewide program to help get contaminants like PFAS out of our water supplies. And after five years of calling for legislative action, the Legislature and I both approved a $125 million investment to start tackling PFAs across our state.

[But that] $125 million investment to fight PFAS statewide is sitting in Madison because Republicans refuse to release it. Republicans, please release this funding so we can get it out to the families, child care facilities, schools, businesses, and communities across our state who need it.

Tim Walz: Remove "forever chemicals" from our drinking water

And we want to invest in making sure every building owned by Minnesota taxpayers is in good repair. Buildings like the ones at Minnesota State and the U are in desperate need of renovation, and our infrastructure plan has funding to make it happen--and it will happen with union labor. These initiatives will make an enormous difference in the real lives of real people across our state. There's no reason we can't get them done this session.

And there's no reason both parties can't be part of getting it done this session. I know we won't agree on everything. But safe streets? Clean water? Affordable housing? Surely we can agree on that. So join me--and not just at the ribbon-cutting, but in the work to get it done.