Wis. gov signs wetlands development bill

MADISON, Wis. — Gov. Scott Walker has signed a divisive bill that would help developers win wetland construction permits.

The governor signed the measure at a Wisconsin Realtors Association gathering at a Madison convention center.

The measure would require developers to include mitigation plans with permit applications they hand over to the Department of Natural Resources. The plans could include purchasing credits from groups that have already restored wetlands, paying the state to support wetland restoration work, or enhancing other wetlands.

Submitting a plan wouldn’t guarantee a permit, but it would give developers another way to bolster their case for one.

Environmentalists fear the bill will mean the loss of untold acres of wetlands.