Letter to the Hon. Tony Evers - Schneider, Durbin, Duckworth, Underwood Urge New Wisconsin Governor to Review Environmental Impact of Foxconn Construction Plan

Letter

Dear Governor Evers:

Congratulations on your recent inauguration as Wisconsin's forty-sixth governor. As federal officials representing Illinois, we look forward to working with you on issues affecting our two states. In particular, we urge you to reconsider the state of Wisconsin waiving important environmental review for construction related to Foxconn's development in Mount Pleasant.

Foxconn is set to construct its facilities in the headwaters of the Des Plaines River Watershed. Downstream communities in Lake County, IL have already faced significant flooding in recent years, affecting more than 3,000 homes and causing millions of dollars in damages. We worry that river flooding would be compounded by any increased stormwater flow caused by the Foxconn development. In response, the Lake County Board, the Lake County Stormwater Management Commission, and several towns in Lake County passed resolutions disapproving of the project, and we voiced our own concerns in a June 2018 letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Illinois State Senate weighed in as well, adopting a resolution urging the State of Wisconsin to consider the serious environmental and public health implications of the development.

Under the premise that Foxconn would bring up to 13,000 direct jobs to the region your predecessor, Governor Scott Walker, offered an extensive set of incentives and infrastructure investments totaling more than $4 billion, including an agreement to waive important environmental protections related to wetlands and water management. Among these provisions was an allowance for Foxconn to divert millions of gallons of water from Lake Michigan, which many experts believe would violate the Great Lakes Compact because the diverted water would be used solely for industrial use. The state also agreed to allow the development to proceed without conducting an environmental impact study.

Recent press reports indicate that Foxconn may be backing out of significant parts of the project. We have been skeptical of this development from the beginning and Foxconn backpedaling from its initial offer has only deepened our concerns. Your recent comments about reviewing Foxconn's air quality permits were heartening. As you continue to evaluate proposals from Foxconn, we want to reiterate our concerns about the downstream impacts this development could have. We ask that you submit forthcoming construction plans to stringent environmental review, especially with consideration to stormwater management, to mitigate any negative impact these facilities could have on communities already vulnerable to flooding. Economic development is a top priority in our region, and it does not have to come at the cost of environmental degradation.

Thank you for your consideration of our concerns. Please do not hesitate to reach out if there are opportunities for us to work together.

Sincerely,