WED AM News: Talking Trade with Brian Dranzik, Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport; Coalition seeks greater regulation of ‘wake-enhanced’ boating

September 4, 2024

— In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport Director Brian Dranzik discusses an ongoing expansion project aimed at improving cargo shipping.

“We’re well on our way to groundbreaking hopefully at the end of this year,” he said, adding the cargo facility will have capacity for five 747-class aircraft at any given time. “Which hopefully will provide some relief for those who are moving cargo freight from Wisconsin and northern Illinois.”

Dranzik describes the project as “pretty uphill task” but said interest has risen over time as airport officials have ramped up messaging and engaged with trade conferences.

“A lot of interest, I think, from domestic and international carriers,” he said. “I think it’s just going to come to the point where it’s a ‘if you build it, they will come’ scenario, hopefully. That’s the track where we’re on right now.”

He said smaller operators or those with specific needs may be interested in using the new Milwaukee cargo center, as an alternative to the larger Chicago O’Hare International Airport across the state’s southern border.

“We do have to advertise Milwaukee as a city that stands on its own, which it does … We probably lose about 2 million or so passengers to Chicago. We know that, but at the same time, we have sufficient traffic levels here,” he said.

Dranzik also noted the Milwaukee area benefits from less congested airspace than the Chicago airport, which may give some carriers more confidence for choosing the smaller airport as a freight alternative.

“It’s kind of a first mover thing,” he said. “Once we get one in the door, we feel confident that others will follow.”

Talking Trade is hosted by E.M Wasylik Associates Managing Director Ken Wasylik and M.E. Dey & Co. President and Managing Director Sandi Siegel.

Watch the show here.

“Talking Trade” is now available in audio form on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and other platforms. Subscribe and find more episodes here.

— A coalition of Wisconsin organizations has formed to advocate for greater regulation of “wake-enhanced boating,” which members say harms lakes.

It includes Lakes at Stake Wisconsin — which launched an effort last year to fight the impact of wake-enhanced boating in the state — along with Wisconsin Lakes, Wisconsin’s Green Fire, Last Wilderness Alliance and the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation.

“We are all witnessing firsthand the damage to our shoreline and lake bottoms throughout Wisconsin,” Lakes at Stake Wisconsin Director and former Natural Resources Board member Fred Prehn said in a statement. “Our glacial lakes are not built to sustain the damage these boats in wake surfing mode are causing.”

The newly formed coalition says it will seek to educate elected and appointed officials about the damage caused by wake-enhanced boating, as well as advancing policies that protect waterways in Wisconsin.

Meleesa Johnson, executive director of environmental advocacy group Wisconsin’s Green Fire, says wake boats can spread harmful invasive species.

“Unlike other watercraft, the design of a wake boat’s internal ballast system makes it nearly impossible to fully empty and decontaminate these boats, increasing the risk of spreading invasives and damaging the way our lakes look and function,” she said in a statement.

Jeff Meessmann, board member of the Last Wilderness Alliance, says the group supports efforts to create minimum state standards for “enhanced wake activity” while retaining local control over regulations. Meessmann says the state-level legislative process is “long and unknown,” adding minimum standards won’t offer the level of protection “many municipalities recognize they need” to protect natural resources.

“Therefore, it is critically important that municipalities act now by passing local ordinances that ensure lake safety for everyone else using the lakes and protect their lakes from costly and permanent damage, including the rapid spread of aquatic invasive species,” he said in the announcement.

In addition to the coalition members, other Wisconsin groups have signed on to offer their support including the Wisconsin Trout Unlimited, Yahara Fishing Club, Vilas County Lakes and Rivers Association and Walleyes for Tomorrow.

See more in the release and see WisBusiness.com coverage of earlier related efforts.

— A coalition of businesses, farmers and advocates has launched the “Our Sun, Our Power” digital ad campaign to promote community solar in Wisconsin.

The campaign will begin with a first wave of three 15-second video spots that include testimony from a public hearing held in the Wisconsin Legislature earlier this year.

Coalition members include Walmart, the Wisconsin Farm Bureau, Wisconsin Grocers Association, Kohler, Organic Valley, Advocate Aurora Health, Associated Builders and Contractors, Conservative Energy Network, RENEW Wisconsin, and the Alliance for Wisconsin Retailers who represent Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Home Depot, Target and more.

In community solar projects, local solar facilities are shared by multiple community subscribers who receive credit on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced.

According to an Our Sun, Our Power press release, community solar in Wisconsin has gained support over the past four years from Wisconsin businesses and organizations who believe community solar “can give consumers and businesses more energy choice, lower customers bills, and increase private investment in local communities.”

The coalition did not immediately respond to an inquiry from WisPolitics about how much will be spent on the campaign and where in Wisconsin it will run.

See the ads here.

— Menasha Packaging has announced plans to invest $50 million into its “preprint” product operations, creating up to 30 new jobs in the Fox Valley area.

The subsidiary of Neenah-based Menasha Corp. yesterday announced its “preprint expansion initiative,” which will add new varnish press machinery, automation and robotics technology to its existing operations. The move is expected to double the company’s capacity for preprinted materials, which are later converted into graphic packaging boxes.

The company’s preprint products will be made in Neenah and converted across its North American network, according to the release, with final versions of its graphic packaging products being shipped to all 50 states, Mexico and Canada.

“I am excited about the stability this investment brings locally here in Wisconsin as we add new positions, but the rolls of printed liner will also support hundreds of positions across multiple states providing an exciting future for our employees,” Executive Vice President Jeff Krepline said in a statement.

See the release.

— The state Department of Workforce Development says it will move its unemployment insurance system to a “modern, cloud-based” platform for both claimants and employers.

The agency yesterday announced it will work with Google Public Sector to rebuild the state UI system, which is currently based on 1970s-era technology. The move is meant to improve the experience for those making claims while speeding up code development and boosting productivity for agency staff, according to the release.

DWD says the new employer portal will help address “technical limitations” of the current system, making it easier for users to do tax and wage reporting, respond to claim verification requests, share documents and more.

“Rapid advances in AI technology are bringing new opportunities to develop coding and performance features that will continue Wisconsin’s leadership in UI customer service delivery,” DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek said in the release.

The announcement comes after DWD in July completed an overhaul of its online UI system that began in late 2021 under a contract with Madison tech firm Flexion. The agency now says it’s working toward building, testing and deploying a “fully modern” UI system using Google’s technology.

See the release.

— Medical marijuana advocates have launched a statewide campaign arguing the drug should be legalized for medical use in Wisconsin.

The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association, a nonprofit, and the Wisconsin Tribal Task Force on Cannabis, founded by St. Croix Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin Senior Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist Michael Decorah, are leading the “Wisconsin Wellness” effort that kicked off with a PSA video yesterday.

Decorah joined Sen. Melissa Agard, D-Madison, Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association founder Rob Pero, Ho-Chunk Nation legislator Kristin White Eagle, Megan and Josh Lowe and their daughter Norah, who is disabled, at yesterday’s Capitol press conference.

Decorah said despite their status as sovereign nations, some tribes are still hesitant to legalize cannabis on tribal land because it is illegal at the federal level.

“That’s why we’re advocating for this access now,” Decorah said. “We’re asking the colleagues of Sen. Agard to quit debating whether we should or shouldn’t do something that’s already being done and proven to work. We should be debating how much can go into helping families, helping our schools, helping our infrastructure, helping our fire and safety, given those dollars there.”

Efforts to pass legislation legalizing medical marijuana have stalled in the GOP-run Legislature, including a bill that would have used state-run dispensaries. The proposal didn’t receive a vote in either chamber as Sen. Mary Felzkowski, a key GOP proponent of medical marijuana, said she preferred an approach that gave more control to the private sector.

Megan Lowe, who co-owns a hemp farm in Merrimac with her husband, said all of her daughter Norah’s friends in neighboring states have access to cannabis, and “they have incredibly improved with access to this medicine.”

Norah has Rett syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that impacts brain development.

“She could be seizure-free if we drove 75 miles in either direction. And I don’t want to have to move out of my state, we need action now,” she said.

Agard, who is running for Dane County exec, argued legalizing or taxing marijuana like alcohol would allow for a controlled market that would be safe for communities and provide health and security opportunities for people like Norah.

“The fact is, cannabis legalization is a uniquely popular issue,” Agard said. “This is something that extends beyond partisan politics. It doesn’t matter if you’re in urban or rural areas of the state of Wisconsin. People want this stuff.”

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

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