Conservationists are opposing Republican plans to eliminate key environmental regulations as part of the incentives package luring a $10 billion Foxconn electronics plant to Wisconsin.

Gov. Scott Walker’s incentives bill would exempt the company from environmental impact statements and state permits for filling wetlands and building on lake beds.

The legislation eliminates a number of key environmental compliance requirements for Foxconn, including the need to obtain state permits to fill wetlands and environmental impact statements.

Midwest Environmental Advocates attorney Sarah Geers said Monday the bill would leave people in the dark about how the plant would affect the landscape and result in the loss of wetlands.

Clean Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Environment Research and Policy Center and the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters all oppose the bill as well.

Walker’s office referred a request for comment to the state Department of Natural Resources.

DNR spokesman Jim Dick said in an email that the bill is about streamlining the process, and since Foxconn hasn’t said where the plant will be built, no one knows if any wetlands will be affected.

Pending home sales rise in June

Americans signed more contracts to buy homes in June, snapping a three-month decline in pending sales.

The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its pending home sales index rose 1.5 percent in June to 110.2. The gain still puts the pace of contract signings below its March level. The index has increased just 0.5 percent over the past 12 months.

The U.S. housing market is increasingly confronted with a shortage of properties listed for sale. Investors who bought foreclosed houses during the downturn are now renting them at a tidy profit, while many existing homeowners say they cannot afford the down payment to sell their house and buy a more expensive property.

Uber to launch its own credit card

Riding-sharing company Uber plans to launch its own credit card, partnering with British bank Barclays.

The card will be coming this year, Barclays said.

Uber would be the first of the riding-sharing companies to have a co-branded credit card, a popular way for companies to cement customer loyalty.

Such cards typically give points or credits toward awards, with the most popular cards offering airlines and hotels.

Lyft has a partnership with Delta that offers miles but not via a card.

Details about terms or rewards on the Uber card weren’t yet available, though ride credits seem the most likely award.

THE BOTTOM LINE

162.5M The number of rides that hailing service Lyft said Monday it surpassed this year through June, topping the record number of rides that it gave in all of 2016 as it capitalized on missteps by Uber. The company has made its gains as some people avoid Uber, Lyft’s much larger rival. Uber has been without a CEO since June when company co-founder Travis Kalanick stepped down under pressure from the board.