— On a day when the governor of Maryland proposed a $1.1 billion biotechnology initiative and the governor of Massachusetts signed a similar $1 billion bill into law, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle said there’s plenty of room for major research states to work collaboratively on breakthroughs involving stem cells.
“This is not a case of one state is going to win and another state is going to lose, or that one state is going to beat all the other states,” Doyle said during a news conference at the BIO international convention in San Diego.
Rather, Doyle explained, the collaborative and often interdiscilpinary nature of research means scientists from across the country and around the world are often working on common problems, and advances in one laboratory may help propel breakthroughs elsewhere.
See more news from San Diego on the WisBusiness BIO Blog:
http://blogs.wisbusiness.com/bio/
— The state Department of Transportation plans to spend an estimated $900,000 to build a “crossover” to merge westbound traffic on I-94 with the eastbound lane near Johnson Creek. The westbound lane of the main artery between Milwaukee and Madison remains closed due to rising waters on the Rock and Crawfish rivers, which flow under the roadway just west of Johnson Creek.
DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi held a press conference on I-94’s Rock River bridge Tuesday to announce the emergency order. Under the rules for an emergency contract, the project does not have to go out for bids, he said. Hoffman Construction of Black River Falls has been chosen for the project, Busalacchi said.
— Wisconsin Public Service Corporation has agreed to pay $475,000 to settle a DNR suit over air pollution violations at its Weston power plant, according to a statement from Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen.
The lawsuit alleges that the plant violated emission limits stipulated under its air pollution control permit between 2004 and 2007.
Wisconsin Public Service will pay $225,000 in penalties and costs to the state, while another $250,000 will be given to the Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation.
See the press release: http://www.wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=128958
