A proposal in Congress to allow 15% ethanol-or E15-in auto fuels year-round could increase water contamination in our state. More than a million acres of Wisconsin land is used to grow corn for ethanol, and increasing E15 use could mean even more land devoted to ethanol. Corn causes more nitrate contamination in Wisconsin waterways than any other crop. More than 80,000 private drinking water wells are polluted with unsafe levels of the chemicals.

Wisconsin and Minnesota partnering on a project to reintroduce endangered mussel species into the Mississippi River basin. Spectacle-case and Higgens eye mussels used to thrive in western Wisconsin rivers and streams, but both became endangered because of pollution and man-made dams. Wildlife officials are breeding and releasing the mussels into cleaner waterways like the Chippewa River.

Knowledge is power. For a deep dive into Wisconsin’s most pressing environmental issues, check out my Defender podcast at cleanwiscosnin.org or wherever you get your podcasts.