WISCONSIN LEGISLATURE P. O. Box 7882 Madison, WI 53707-7882 February 20, 2017 Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker 115 East Capitol Madison, WI 53703 Dear Gov. Walker, We are writing about the blatant disregard for the public health and safety of our mutual constituents in Milwaukee and the victims near the two other Wisconsin cities where Mid- America Steel Drum Company has mishandled, dumped and mixed toxic chemical materials for decades as exposed in a recent news report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on February 15, 2017. The report was shocking and I hope you will join our call for an investigation, accountability and immediate remediation efforts. Mid?America is a barrel reconditioning facility that has been leaving hazardous chemical residue in the bottom of its barrels for decades. In 1984, a barrel at a sister facility of Mid?America exploded in a worker?s face, killing him on the spot. The dangerous conduct that lead to the explosion has not been changed. Clearly, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For years, Mid-America has been knowingly harming its workers and endangering the environment and nearby residents. Time and time again, the plants have been cited by regulators for releasing toxic emissions into the air and pouring hazardous chemicals down drains into the local sewer system, yet little action has been taken to effectively address these hazards. We want to thank our federal-elected officials Senator Tammy Baldwin and Representative Gwen Moore for their speedy leadership on this issue, but the state also has a role to ensure public health and wellbeing. We need immediate action from the state and it must be an all hands on deck collaborative solution. Thank you for your urgent attention to this matter. Sincerely, a? Senator a C. Taylor Senator Chris Larson 4th Senate District 7th Senate District @9349? ??lij QZQ ep David Bowen Rep. Chris Sinicki 10th Assembly District 20th Assembly District Cc: Attorney General Brad Schimel, Secretary of the Department of Health Services Linda Seemeyer, and Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources Cathy Stepp