This chapter shall apply to all department actions which may negatively affect the quality of the human environment and to consideration of strategic natural resource issues or policies which may involve unresolved conflicts concerning alternative uses of available resources.
Wis. Admin. Code Department of Natural Resources NR 150.02
There are several statutory exemptions from s. 1.11, Stats., including the following: s. 30.025, Stats. (construction of certain high voltage transmission lines); ss. 160.23 and 160.25, Stats. (responses to groundwater standards exceedances); s. 283.93, Stats. (WPDES permit actions, except for WPDES permit actions for new sources); s. 285.60(2g) (b) and (3) (b), Stats. (air registration permits and general permits); and ss. 295.44, 295.45, 295.65, and 295.645, Stats. (ferrous mining exploration licenses, bulk sampling approvals, successor operators, and responses to groundwater standards exceedances). The department may have previously conducted environmental analyses under s. 1.11 Stats., for actions that are exempt under s. 283.93, Stats., even though the department was not statutorily required to do so.