Under those laws, companies are prohibited from discharging materials or otherwise polluting wetlands without a specific permit to do so. Under the bill that Walker has put forward, companies within the new economics and information technology manufacturing zone will be allowed to discharge material into non-federal wetlands if it relates to the construction or operation of a manufacturing facility. Walker has called a special session that will discuss his bill tomorrow.
Another section of the bill outlines how existing Wisconsin law requires companies to obtain a permit to disturb or transform nearby waterways. According to the official analysis of the bill by analysts in the Republican-controlled legislature, the new legislation will allow Walkers administration to waive those permitting requirements if they relate to the construction, access, or operation of a new manufacturing facility in the zone where Foxconn is planning to build its facility.
A separate section of the bill exempts new energy utilities built inside the Foxconn development zone from facing regulatory oversight by the states Public Service Commission. Those provisions also exempt regulation of the building and relocation of high-voltage transmission lines, according to state legislative analysts.
