Efforts to reach Thiede, who in 2017 became the EPA Region 5 chief of staff, were unsuccessful.

“I would put on my calendar; once a month I would inquire, should we send this up again?” Vollbrecht said. “And I think most of the time we did.”

PFAS concerns

Steve Elmore, who succeeded Jonas in 2016, said he saw it as his job to advocate for standards for the emerging pollutants. For months, he got nowhere and said he didn’t know why.

“No one ever said to me, ‘There’s industry concern about this. Stop working on it,’” Elmore said. “There were delays, but it was always couched more as, ‘Let’s just see what comes up at this next meeting.’”

Walker appointed Dan Meyer to replace Stepp in 2017. Like Stepp, Meyer is a former Republican legislator. In March 2018, Meyer allowed the DNR to send a list of 27 contaminants to DHS for evaluation. Elmore said rising awareness about PFAS may have played a role in persuading the DNR to act on the issue. The EPA issued a health advisory in 2016 but not an enforceable standard. Several states have set their own standards.