LEGAL VICTORY! State regulators must strengthen environmental oversight of Pierce County livestock operation
MEA clients in Pierce County have won a major victory in a three-year fight to protect their community from the impacts of a major expansion at Ridge Breeze Dairy. On August 24, an administrative law judge ruled that a DNR permit allowing the farm to expand its herd to more than 6,000 cows failed to ensure compliance with Wisconsin’s groundwater quality standards.
DNR reversed course on a massive data center after pushback from developers. MEA is fighting for answers.
A new lawsuit filed by MEA on behalf of the Sierra Club shows the extent to which tech companies and data center developers may be influencing decisions that impact Wisconsin’s environment.
MEA and Partners Receive Community Change-Maker Award for PFAS Work
MEA is honored to be recognized by Community Shares of Wisconsin as a recipient of the 2026 Community Change-Maker Award for our work to address PFAS contamination. We share the award with our partners at River Alliance of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Conservation Voices. We invite you to celebrate with us on September 17!
Protecting Paradise: How residents of the Rush River Valley are taking action to defend the place they love
MEA client Kay Kashian and her husband Phil own Milkhouse Cottage and Gardens, a small rural retreat in Pierce County. Visitors come for the clean water, quiet beauty, and sense of place that defines the Rush River Valley—qualities Kay and Phil have worked hard to preserve and share. Plans for a massive expansion at nearby Ridge Breeze Dairy now put all of that at risk. With representation from MEA, Kay and other local residents are challenging a key permit for the project and demanding that state regulators do more to protect local groundwater and surface water.
Pierce County Residents Speak Up for Clean Water at Ridge Breeze Hearing
At a multi-day legal hearing in March, community members and MEA attorneys highlighted concerns about the proposed expansion of Ridge Breeze Dairy and made the case for requiring stronger water quality protections, including the installation of groundwater monitoring wells.
New MEA Toolkit Helps Local Governments Understand Options for Regulating Large Livestock Operations
A new MEA toolkit gives Wisconsin towns a starting point for drafting and enacting ordinances that strengthen local oversight of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
MEA and Milwaukee Riverkeeper Announce Legal Action After DNR Approves Controversial Expansion of West Bend Dairy Farm
MEA initiated legal action after the DNR issued a permit for the expansion of a large dairy farm located in the Town of Trenton in Washington County. DNR approval ignores the farm’s past environmental violations and endangers local groundwater, trout streams and wetlands.
MEA Calls for Increased Oversight of Door County Livestock Operation with History of Environmental Violations
In formal comments submitted to the Department of Natural Resources, MEA outlined serious concerns regarding the agency’s plan to issue a permit for the expansion of Gilbert Farms, a concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO) near the town of Sevastopol in Door County
Tell your legislators: Private well owners deserve to know if their water could be contaminated
Ask your legislators to support bipartisan legislation that would help inform local health officials and private well owners about water contamination.
Legal Victory! Appeals Court Affirms State’s Role in Safeguarding Water from Agricultural Pollution
Today, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals for District II issued a decision affirming the authority of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to require CAFOs to apply for permits under the state’s water pollution permitting program. The decision preserves environmental oversight of Wisconsin’s largest livestock operations.