Wisconsin state lands agency eliminates ban on climate change advocacy
The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, the oldest agency in state government, has lifted a 2015 ban that prevented employees from doing advocacy work involving climate change.
The board, all Democrats, voted to reverse the policy at a regularly scheduled meeting on Monday; and one of the board members, State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski, issued a statement on Friday detailing the action.
The 3-0 vote represents an early window into how Democrats and the administration of Gov. Tony Evers are likely to give policies tied to global warming a higher profile than during Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s tenure.
Board members on Monday also amended a policy that will now allow school districts to apply for loans for energy efficiency projects. In November 2017, the board mandated that school districts could no longer apply for loans from the agency for energy efficiency work.
The votes reversed the actions of those on the board before the results of the Nov. 6 general election. Two of the Republicans then serving are no longer on the board.
In 2015, then Republican State Treasurer Matt Adamczyk proposed a ban on global warming discussions by the agency. He said climate change had nothing to do with the agency’s work of managing a large trust fund and extensive forest holdings.
The board later moderated the climate policy to prohibit actual advocacy work.
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When the climate prohibition was initiated, the board's executive secretary was Tia Nelson, the daughter of Earth Day Founder and U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson. She later resigned to become managing director of climate for the Outrider Foundation in Madison.
Tia Nelson had earlier served as a chair of a global warming task force created in 2007 by Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat.
On Friday, Godlewski, the chairman of the board, issued a statement and said climate change was a risk that should be monitored because the work of the board is closely tied to natural resources.
The board and staff manage more than $1 billion in trust fund assets and 77,000 acres of school trust forest lands.
In addition to Godlewski, the current board is composed of Attorney General Josh Kaul and Secretary of State Doug La Follette.
"Our investments can be impacted by erratic weather and natural disasters that can affect commodity prices and cause markets to tumble,” Godlewski said in a statement.
“Furthermore, a key component of our portfolio is timber, and pests can impact our harvest practices. We will not ignore such risks on our watch.”
In an interview, Godlewski said the restriction on climate advocacy meant that “staff always felt they were walking on pins and needles. We don’t want to create any more red tape.”
Before the election, the board was composed of Adamczyk, La Follette and Brad Schimel, the attorney general whom Kaul defeated.
Adamczyk lost an Assembly race to Democrat Robyn Vining in the 14th Assembly District, which represents parts of the cities of Brookfield, Wauwatosa and Milwaukee.
La Follette, the secretary of state, was re-elected.