× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

The Wisconsin Department of Justice environmental protection unit has shrunk to its smallest size in 25 years as state environmental regulators seek fewer fines from polluters.

Six attorneys were assigned to work in the unit last year compared to 10 as recently as 2008.

A Department of Justice spokesman said he couldn’t explain the trend, but attorneys who have worked closely with the unit said it may be a symptom of the dwindling number of pollution cases the state Department of Natural Resources has referred for legal action.

The DNR sent between 105 and 179 violations to environmental protection unit lawyers annually between 1989 and 2009, according to data compiled by DOJ, but the number has topped 100 only once since then.

Last year, total fines against polluters dropped to their lowest point since at least 1994, falling below $1 million for only the second time during that period, the data show.

“It is very apparent that there are very few major violations being referred to the Department of Justice,” said Carl Sinderbrand, a Madison lawyer who once worked in the environmental protection unit and has since represented the DNR and private groups in regulatory lawsuits and served as mediator in pollution cases the DOJ filed against companies.