DNR, Dairy Group Settle Lawsuit Alleging Agency Overreach

The state D-N-R is settling a lawsuit from a dairy group that accused the agency of bureaucratic overreach. The Dairy Business Association of Green Bay filed suit in late July, claiming the D-N-R should have gone through the public rulemaking process before it started overseeing calf hutches — and banning the flow of runoff through vegetation so it could be cleaner before it goes into waterways. The D-N-R now agrees to stop enforcing those two things. The dairy group agreed to stop claiming that the agency is acting illegally in making large dairy farms get pollution discharge permits even if they don’t pollute the waters.