Feburary 27, 2012
Contact:
Amber Meyer Smith, Program Director, 608.251.7020 ext. 16, 608.347.6026 (cell)
Mark Redsten, Board Member, 608.251.7020 ext. 12
MADISON — On behalf of its thousands of members across the state, Clean Wisconsin Action Fund proudly announced its endorsement of Kathleen Falk for Governor today.
“Kathleen Falk has a long and impressive record of protecting Wisconsin’s clean air, clean water and beautiful places,” said Gary Goyke, board chair of the Clean Wisconsin Action Fund. “Falk’s decades of work have proven that creating jobs doesn’t have to come at the expense of our natural resources, but rather that we can create jobs by protecting Wisconsin’s environment.”
Falk’s long environmental record began when, as a young girl, she founded a conservation club in Waukesha. She served as one of the first co-directors of Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, the predecessor to the environmental group Clean Wisconsin. Falk went on to become Wisconsin’s Public Intervenor, serving as the environmental watchdog for citizens around the state and later served as Dane County Executive where she prioritized conservation efforts and natural resources protection.
“Kathleen Falk is a proven leader whose work demonstrates the many benefits of environmental protection,” said Goyke. “Her vision for a cleaner, more prosperous future will help Wisconsin move forward again.”
As co-director of Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade in the 1970s, Falk:
- Won precedent-setting legal cases that help prevent environmentally destructive urban sprawl and encourage electrical utilities to reduce pollution.
- Pushed the state Legislature to strengthen Wisconsin’s mining laws, providing important protections still in place today.
As Public Intervenor in the 1980s, Falk:
- Stood up for anglers and people with disabilities in Milwaukee by protecting access to Lake Michigan;
- Assisted local business owners to prevent sprawl outside of Appleton; and
Helped residents protect prairies in Kenosha and wetlands in Ashland.
As Dane County Executive in the 1990s and 2000s, Falk:
- Led the effort to build the Dane County cow manure digester project, which will create enough clean energy from waste to power 2,500 homes;
- Led a campaign to develop a $30 million conservation fund, which was approved through a referendum by 76% of voters;
- Enacted the strongest stormwater management ordinance in the state;
- Banned phosphorus in fertilizer and regulate liquid manure management; and
- Restored trout streams, purchased thousands of acres of natural resources, established permanent protection for large springs, and improved the Dane County bicycle trails.
“You create jobs by investing in energy efficiency and sustainable industries, and you keep Wisconsin a place where people want to live and where businesses want to reside,” said Falk. “I am honored and proud to have earned the endorsement of Clean Wisconsin Action Fund, who have dedicated their lives, as I have, to protecting the rights of citizens across Wisconsin to enjoy clean air, clean water and our great open spaces.”