A judge has ruled that the state Department of Natural Resources lacks the authority to regulate PFAS chemicals without established standards.
Waukesha County Circuit Judge Michael Bohren ruled Tuesday in a lawsuit brought by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and an Oconomowoc dry cleaning business.
They allege the DNR has required businesses to remediate PFAS contamination since 2019 without any basis in statute or regulations.
Environmentalists counter that the DNR must react quickly to pollution and not wait for lawmakers to approve statutes or rules.
But Bohren says the agency has to do things in the proper way so everyone has fair notice of what is considered a hazardous substance.
