Wisconsin Supreme Court rules spills law applies to PFAS

June 24, 2025

Read the full article by Henry Redman (Wisconsin Examiner)

"In a 5-2 ruling on Tuesday, the Wisconsin Supreme Court affirmed the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) authority to regulate polluters who produce hazardous substances such as PFAS through the state’s toxic spills law. 

The court’s ruling reverses the decisions of the circuit and appeals courts that could have threatened the DNR’s ability to force polluters to pay for the environmental damage they cause. For more than 40 years, the spills law has allowed the DNR to bring civil charges and enforce remediation measures against parties responsible for spills of “harmful substances.” 

The lawsuit was brought by an Oconomowoc dry cleaner and Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC), the state’s largest business lobby, after the owner of the dry cleaner, Leather Rich Inc., found PFAS on her property."

Location:

• North AmericaUS
• North AmericaUSWisconsin

Topics:

• ChemicalsPFAS
• SourcesManufacturing facilities
• Environment
• Wildlife
• Health
• Regulations
• Litigation
• Agencies