Photo credit: Overpass Light Brigade
At the start of the 2016 legislative session in Wisconsin, advocates of public water and the environment were alarmed to see a bill on the docket that threatened public control of water. This bill would fast track water privatization proposals by eliminating the voter approval process. But with a host of other bad bills to challenge, they weren’t sure if they would be able to defeat this one.
That’s when Corporate Accountability International members and allies in Wisconsin — from Midwest Environmental Advocates to the Overpass Light Brigade — jumped in to rally immense public opposition to this bill. Together, we built a powerful coalition, thrust the bill into the media spotlight, and organized thousands of people throughout Wisconsin to take action — even when the challenge felt insurmountable.
In the end, only private interests were left supporting the bill, and lawmakers saw it as too toxic to even bring to a vote. Now, the coalition is laying the groundwork for a Drinking Water Bill of Rights that will hold elected officials accountable for protecting public water.
