U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Meets with FDL County Officials

Photo: Senator Tammy Baldwin talks with Fond du Lac County officials at the City/County Government Center Thursday afternoon. 

U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin met with Fond du Lac County
leaders Thursday to discuss how extreme weather caused by climate change has
impacted Fond du Lac County and surrounding areas in recent years. Senator
Baldwin tells us that part of the discussion she had with county officials
included how to improve infrastructure to withstand severe weather events that
are happening more often. “There’s a real federal role that these discussions
help inform,” Baldwin said. “When we do a big infrastructure bill – which I
hope will be soon – let’s talk about not just filling potholes and fixing
things, but let’s talk about rebuilding to a greater level of resilience.”  

Additionally, Baldwin says she wants agencies like FEMA
to keep mitigation in mind when communities are rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
“I have seen communities rebuild the same road more than once – it’s been
washed out more than once in an extreme weather event – because FEMA said you
can’t improve the resiliency of this road, you have to replace culverts with
the same size culverts – when a larger culvert might have made all the
difference,” she said. “I want to see a responsive government, but also a more
efficient use of our taxpayer dollars,” she added.

Part of the discussions Baldwin has been having with
leaders around the state during the August recess also include various water quality
issues, including drinking water contamination, harmful algae blooms and
contaminated groundwater.