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ASSOCIATION

  

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AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE

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WISCONSIN MANUFACTURERS mm" Propane Gas Association

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Please Co-Sponsor The Worker Safety and Energy Security Act
(LRB 3454)

 

   

   

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T0: Wisconsin State Lawmakers

FROM: American Chemistry Council, American Petroleum Institute, Construction Business
Group, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 139, Mechanical Contractors
Association of Wisconsin, Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Midwest Food
Products Association, Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association of Milwaukee and
Southeastern Wisconsin, Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' Association of
Milwaukee, Wisconsin Building Trades Council, Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation, Wisconsin
Grocers Association, Wisconsin Independent Businesses, Wisconsin Independent Businesses
Agri-Business Coalition, Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, Wisconsin Laborers District Council,
Wisconsin Manufacturers Commerce, Wisconsin Paper Council, Wisconsin Pipe Trades,
Wisconsin Propane Gas Association, Wisconsin Restaurant Association, Wisconsin Rural Water
Association, Wisconsin Transportation Builders Association, Wisconsin Utilities Association

DATE: July 29, 2019

There is no doubt that our state?s economy and families depend on an infrastructure network
to move and supply energy and water for transportation, heating homes, powering

 

 

 

 

 

manufacturing, fueling agriculture and for providing the sustenance for survival. Unfortunately,
we are seeing increased efforts by some to sabotage this critical infrastructure and harass the
workers we depend on to keep it up and running.

In recent years, critical infrastructure worksites in the Midwest have seen millions of dollars of
construction equipment set on firel, hydraulic fluid leaked onto the ground due to vandalismz,
intimidation of labor on worksites3, and individuals using force to break into facilities and
unsafely turn offthis critical infrastructure.4 Unfortunately, those causing this damage and
disruption often either do not fully understand the harm they cause or simply don?t care.
Workers usually skilled, union tradesmen and tradeswomen are increasingly feeling unsafe
and are seeing their equipment and even their own personal property being damaged.
Attempts to improperly turn off or sabotage critical infrastructure is also putting our
communities and environment at risk, and, in some cases, putting the lives of those doing the
vandalism in jeopardy.

To address these serious and growing concerns, the Worker Safety and Energy Security Act
adds petroleum, renewable fuel, chemical and water infrastructure to the existing criminal
statute protecting our critical infrastructure from trespassing and damage, giving these types of
critical infrastructure the same protections as electric and natural gas infrastructure. Nothing in
this legislation impacts first amendment rights to organize, protest or picket, and to make that
clear language has been included to ensure this legislation does not violate those rights.

We view this as a commonsense proposal that merely corrects an oversight from when the
Legislature passed its bill protecting utility infrastructure from these same types of criminal
actions. This bipartisan legislation has support from labor, agriculture and business and we
respectfully ask that you add your name as a co-sponsor.

 

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