MADISON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin judge has affirmed that regulators can force factory farms to obtain permits before they discharge pollutants into state waters. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business group, filed the action in a county circuit court in May on behalf of the Wisconsin Dairy Alliance and the Venture Dairy Cooperative. The plaintiffs argued that a requirement of the state Department of Natural Resources that factory farms obtain permits before the fact conflicts with federal law. Judge Carey Reed ruled Tuesday that the DNR has legal authority to protect aquatic resources. WMC spokesperson Nick Novak declined to comment on the ruling.
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