DNR shifts government control over farm regulations
By Hannah J. Olson | Dec. 11, 2016Split between university-centered cities and vast dairyland, state leaders are moving to re-format environmental regulations, which protection-minded activists said they find troubling. Last month, the state Department of Natural Resources moved to privatize permit acquisition, proposing what DNR Secretary Cathy Stepp, in an opinion editorial on the agency’s website, called “assurance programs” which she explained would increase independent information sourcing, relieving the agency until the final step. While staff rates dwindle, the DNR is crafting methods to deal with budget cuts, redirecting positions and reorienting systematic structures, inducing environmentalist’s anxieties. Since her appointment by Gov. Scott Walker in 2011, Stepp’s actions drew criticism from conservationist groups.
