TUE AM News: A.O. Smith aims to save 40M gallons of water annually by 2030, report shows; Supreme Court hears oral arguments on 1849 abortion law

November 12, 2024

— A.O. Smith Corporation aims to save 40 million gallons of water each year by 2030, according to a report from the Milwaukee-based water technology company.

The business recently released its latest corporate sustainability report for 2024, which marks A.O. Smith’s 150th anniversary. Headquartered in Milwaukee, the business has grown to about 12,000 employees after starting as a manufacturer of baby carriage and bicycle parts in 1874.

The company reported about $3.9 billion in revenue for 2023, with about 32% of that coming from “green products” such as water heaters and boilers meeting federal efficiency standards. That has grown from 30.5% in 2019, the report shows.

“We are a water technology leader focused on a culture of innovation, and this report further demonstrates our commitment to providing our customers with water and energy-efficient solutions,” Chairman and CEO Kevin Wheeler said in a statement.

The newly established water savings goal is linked to the company’s participation in the Milwaukee-based Water Council’s WAVE Water Stewardship program since 2022, which includes a framework for gauging water uses and risks. The company says efforts to reduce water usage will include administrative controls, process optimization and water recycling technologies.

The report highlights a number of improvements on climate goals, such as reducing its greenhouse gas emissions intensity over the four-year period covered in the report.

The company’s metric tons of CO2 emitted per millions of dollars in revenue has fallen from 54.22 in 2019 to 39.24 last year. And total greenhouse gas emissions have decreased from 162,270 metric tons of CO2 to 143,109 metric tons over the same period. A release notes A.O. Smith has surpassed its greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal by 17%.

At the same time, total natural gas usage has risen from 373,071 megawatt-hours — a unit of measurement for energy — to 388,389 MWh. Total electricity usage has fallen from 191,052 MWh to 179,316 MWh, while total water usage has gone from about 362 million gallons to 358 million gallons.

Meanwhile, the company is touting an increase in greenhouse gas avoidance from its water heaters and boilers, rising from 487,383 metric tons of CO2 to 562,243 metric tons of CO2.

But at the same time, the report also shows the company’s share of female employees among its full-time global workforce has fallen from 42% in 2019 to 30% in 2023. The company says this decline is due to the gender makeup of acquisitions and outsourcing of in-store sales positions.

The company’s latest acquisition was a company called Pureit, a Unilever business that was launched in 2004 in India. At the start of November, A.O. Smith announced it had completed the $120 million acquisition.

The report also shows A.O. Smith had an increase in its “total recordable incident rate,” which captures significant work-related injuries or illnesses beyond first aid. Based on an OSHA formula that tracks incidents as a ratio of total hours worked, the TRIR rose from 0.94 to 1.38.

“TRIR increased since the COVID-19 pandemic due to elevated employee turnover and acquisitions,” report authors wrote. “Targeted safety improvement plans are implemented at each facility to address this increase.”

The report also notes its performance “still compares favorably to our industry benchmark,” with the current rate remaining 50% better than the average.

See the release and report.

— Justice Jill Karofsky says she fears the Supreme Court is being asked to “sign the death warrant” for women and others as the Sheboygan DA seeks to restore an 1849 law that had been interpreted to ban abortions except to save the life of the mother.

Meanwhile, fellow liberal Rebecca Dallet questioned whether the state could still enforce a law that was written by white, landowning men considering the string of changes made to abortion statutes since then.

During oral arguments yesterday, she told Matt Thome, the attorney for Sheboygan County DA Joel Urmanski, that his ask to restore enforcement of the statute would mean no exceptions to the 175-year-old law for the health of the mother, in cases of incest or for sexual assault.

She added a doctor who performed an abortion on a rape victim would face a more serious consequence in some cases than the perpetrator of the assault.

“I fear what you are asking this court to do is sign the death warrant of women and children and pregnant people in this state,” Karofsky said.

That prompted a quick interjection by conservative Justice Rebecca Bradley, who prodded Thome that he wasn’t “advocating for the policy choices that the people of Wisconsin have chosen through their elected representatives, right? You’re just asking us to construe statute.”

Thome quickly agreed.

“Justice Bradley, all we’re asking is that this court apply a policy decision that the Legislature made by statute that it put on the books,” Thome said.

Meanwhile, conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn argued the abortion restrictions imposed after Roe was handed down were simply the Legislature seeking to impose a regulatory regime within what was allowed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

He said the court changed the limits of how far restrictions could go in the nearly 50 years between Roe and the 2022 decision overturning that decision.

“The law is still there. It’s still there,” Hagedorn said. “The judiciary doesn’t get to rewrite them.”

The justices peppered attorneys for both sides with questions over the competing statutes on the books. Thome argued lawmakers had the opportunity to expressly repeal the 1849 law in subsequent statutes.

But Assistant Attorney General Hannah Jurss pointed to a 1985 law that barred abortions once the fetus reached “viability, as determined by reasonable medical judgment of the woman’s attending physician.” That statute created a Class I felony.

She argued that the 1985 law “was absolutely intended” to replace the 1849 statute, which applied from conception.

“The statutes are doing the exact same work, but they direct opposite answers,” she told the court.

Thome, though, later argued it would be “unprecedented” for the court to read a subsequent statute as repealing an earlier one without an express provision doing so. He noted lawmakers considering including such a provision in the 1985 law, but ultimately decided against it.

Following oral arguments, Dem AG Josh Kaul said he hoped lawmakers will take up “commonsense” changes to the state’s abortion regulations in light of last week’s election results.

Kaul said that includes making clear access to a legal abortion is protected “for a period of pregnancy” and making sure laws in place don’t unnecessarily burden the ability to obtain reproductive health care.

But he declined to define the window in which he believes an abortion should be allowed or say whether he thought the law banning abortion after 20 weeks was appropriate.

See more coverage at WisPolitics.

— Health in Motion, a private physical therapy practice group based in Rhinelander, has acquired a business serving patients in Spooner and Hayward.

Health in Motion, or HIM, is a subsidiary of Kentucky-based Confluent Health, which has more than 1,500 locations across 36 states. Across its more than 50 brands, the parent company provides care to more than 500,000 patients per year.

The company yesterday announced the acquisition of Spooner and Hayward Physical Therapy & Wellness, bringing its total number of clinics in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania to 11.

At two locations in Spooner and Hayward, the newly acquired business offers sports medicine, orthopedic rehabilitation, worker’s compensation injury care, aquatic therapy, as well as treatments for pre- and post-surgical conditions and more.

Bart Lamers, director of business operations for HIM, says the acquisition supports the company’s goal of providing “specialized, high-quality care to central and northern Wisconsin” communities.

“We are excited about the opportunities this merger brings to expand our services and to continue to deliver exceptional patient outcomes,” Lamers said in a statement.

Through the acquisition, Spooner and Hayward Physical Therapy & Wellness will get access to Confluent Health’s management services, business development offerings and access to the parent company’s clients and vendors.

Dr. Erik Larson, the clinic’s co-owner, says the merger “will allow us to enhance our services and continue delivering the highest level of care to our community.”

See more in the release.

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— MKE Tech Hub Coalition CEO Kathy Henrich has announced plans to step down as the organization begins its search for a new leader.

The Milwaukee-based technology industry group says Henrich will remain in the role until the next CEO is selected and takes over. Its goals include attracting technology talent and businesses, developing a tech talent pipeline in southeastern Wisconsin and continuing to grow the region’s innovation ecosystem.

Since launching under her leadership five years ago, the organization has grown to 135 members, according to the release.

Henrich says the MKE Tech Hub Coalition is at “an ideal juncture” for new leadership to step in as its board has finished a new strategic plan to achieve its mission.

“On a personal note, I feel it is the right time for me to transition,” she said in a statement. “The first phase of my career focused on serving my family, and this second phase has been about serving my community. I’m excited to build a third phase of service and impact in my career.”

See the release and listen to a podcast from this summer with Henrich.

See more in the group’s latest impact report.

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EDUCATION

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HEALTH CARE

– Wisconsin Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in abortion lawsuit

– Wisconsin Supreme Court hears arguments over 1849 abortion ban