Foxconn remains committed to environment
Foxconn is one of the best things to happen to Wisconsin’s economy since statehood 170 years ago. The Taiwanbased company plans to build a stateof-the art manufacturing facility in southeastern Wisconsin, and in the process, create a high technology “Wisconn Valley” ecosystem. That new ecosystem will benefit every corner of the state and is literally the envy of the numerous states that unsuccessfully competed for the project.
That is why I found a commentary written by David Petering, which ran in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 24th, so perplexing.
Petering writes that the deal was “pushed through state government with the explicit intention of ignoring environmental concerns.” He cites the lack of an “environmental impact statement” as his evidence for this. What he does not tell you is that Foxconn was required to obtain the exact same air and water quality permits as every other business in Wisconsin, and as such, has to meet 100% of our state’s stringent air and water quality standards. He also failed to mention the project was approved with bipartisan support.
The “environmental impact statement” that Petering references is little more than an outline of what permits the project could need to get at a later date — it’s not a permit document itself; it has no regulatory authority. It does, however, cost a lot of money to produce and can delay the project for a long time.
What Petering did not explain was that as part of the environmental permitting process, Foxconn still had to thoroughly review the potential impacts to air quality, conduct a full air quality review, and examine things like growth impacts, soil impacts, agricultural impacts, and more, for the project.
Petering also wrongly claimed that “Racine County is attempting to break the compact for short-term economic gain.” This is not true. The project absolutely complied with, and worked within, the legal framework of the Great Lakes Water Compact. In fact, while some states, like Pennsylvania, for example, initially raised concerns — after further review of the application and approval even they agree that this project complies with the requirements of the compact.
Additionally, Petering claims that new air pollutants will degrade overall air quality in the region. This is misleading and incomplete. What he fails to tell you is that while this new project will result in some new air emissions, the region as a whole will see a significant decrease. This is because just a few miles to the south, one of the state’s largest coal power plants is shutting down. So, for example, while Petering is correct that Foxconn’s facility is permitted to emit up to around 172 tons of nitrogen oxides, the shutdown of the power plant will take more than 2,200 tons of nitrogen oxides out of the air, meaning a net reduction in the area of more than 2,000 tons of nitrogen oxides.
While anti-development activists such as Petering may wish to pick and choose facts to drum up opposition to this historic project, readers need to know the whole picture. Foxconn should be congratulated for going above and beyond to develop a plan for one of the most advanced and environmentally safe facilities not only in Wisconsin but worldwide. The company should be celebrated for ushering in a new and historic high technology manufacturing ecosystem to our state.