Governmental consideration of environmental impact
Wis. Stat. § 1.11
in effectThe legislature authorizes and directs that, to the fullest extent possible:
(1) The policies and regulations shall be interpreted and administered in accordance with the policies set forth in this section and chapter 274, laws of 1971, section 1; and
(2) All agencies of the state shall:
(c) Include in every recommendation or report on proposals for legislation and other major actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, a detailed statement, substantially following the guidelines issued by the United States council on environmental quality under P.L. 91-190, 42 USC 4331, by the responsible official on:
1. The environmental impact of the proposed action;
2. Any adverse environmental effects which cannot be avoided should the proposal be implemented;
3. Alternatives to the proposed action;
4. The relationship between local short-term uses of the human environment and the maintenance and enhancement of long-term productivity;
5. Any irreversible and irretrievable commitments of resources that would be involved in the proposed action should it be implemented; and
6. Such statement shall also contain details of the beneficial aspects of the proposed project, both short term and long term, and the economic advantages and disadvantages of the proposal.
(d) Prior to making any detailed statement, the responsible official shall consult with and obtain the comments of any agency which has jurisdiction or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved. Copies of such statement and the comments and views of the appropriate agencies, which are authorized to develop and enforce environmental standards shall be made available to the governor, the department of natural resources and to the public. Every proposal other than for legislation shall receive a public hearing before a final decision is made. Holding a public hearing as required by another statute fulfills this section. If no public hearing is otherwise required, the responsible agency shall hold the hearing in the area affected. Notice of the hearing shall be given by publishing a class 1 notice, under ch. 985, at least 15 days prior to the hearing in a newspaper covering the affected area. If the proposal has statewide significance, notice shall be published in the official state newspaper;
(e) Study, develop, and describe appropriate alternatives to recommended courses of action in any proposal which involves unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of available resources;
(h) Initiate and utilize ecological information in the planning and development of resource-oriented projects.
(j) Annually, no later than September 15, submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2), including the number of proposed actions for which the agency conducted an assessment of whether an impact statement was required under par. (c) and the number of impact statements prepared under par. (c).
(4) Nothing in this section affects the specific statutory obligations of any agency:
(a) To comply with criteria or standards of environmental quality;
(b) To coordinate or consult with any other state or federal agency; or
(c) To act, or refrain from acting contingent upon the recommendations or certification of any other state or federal agency.
(5) The policies and goals set forth in this section are supplementary to those set forth in existing authorizations of agencies.
Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/1.11Fetched: 10/7/2026