Someone at the DNR recognized that two Wisconsin landowners were close to completing work that would have earned them pollution cleanup exemptions for sites that had been used by the paper industry, Foss said.

“We said, ‘Oh my. Some of these may look alike,’” Foss said.

In the past, the department had routinely awarded blanket cleanup exemptions without testing for PFAS. But now it was clear there was too much risk that the state would end up paying for a cleanup if the chemicals were found, Foss said.

In August, top executives in the DNR secretary’s office decided to stop offering blanket exemptions without testing for PFAS. The decision was made recognizing that new Gov. Tony Evers and the state Legislature may not want to allow the policy change to stand.

The DNR contacted both landowners and offered to pay for PFAS testing of their sites. Neither one wanted the testing done, Foss said.

DNR officials told the landowners they couldn’t issue an exemption that could put the state on the hook for a future PFAS cleanup, Foss said. One owner withdrew from the exemption application process. The other hasn’t formerly withdrawn but also hasn’t taken further steps to complete the process, she said.