By The Associated Press/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Jan. 24, 2012 7:00 a.m.
Madison - The Assembly jobs committee is set to approve a Republican bill that would streamline Wisconsin’s iron mining permit process.
The committee is set to vote Tuesday. Approval would clear the way for a full vote in the Assembly. The measure already is on the full Assembly’s Thursday calendar. Continue reading
Wednesday, January 25th, 5:00p, – 7:00pm
BURY THE MINING BILL PROTEST RALLY: at Lady Forward, to of State Street / Capitol Square, Madison, WI — Protest AB-426 aka “The Mining Bill,” and Wetlands Deregulation Bill AB-463. These Bills will deregulate environmental protections and give immunity to mining operations. The bills are also in direct violation of the treaty rights of the tribes whose resources they affect. The bills are themselves illegal.
Details of the proposed Mining Bill: AB426 Summary CleanWisconsin 2011(1)
MADISON, Wis. — A Republican bill designed to kick-start an iron mine in far northwestern Wisconsin could mean additional costs for the state Department of Natural Resources ranging from $550,000 to $3.8 million per year, according to a DNR analysis.
The 183-page bill would make a number of broad changes, including placing time limits on the DNR to approve or deny an iron-mine application. It also caps at $1.1 million the amount that a mining company could be asked to reimburse the DNR for costs associated with the application approval process.
Those factors could lead to higher expenses and lower revenue, the agency found. Continue reading
| Today: Hearing Held on Assembly Mining Bill in Hurley | |
| The Assembly Jobs Committee just announced it will hold an official public hearing on the mining bill, AB 426, Wednesday, January 11th in Hurley at the Hurley Inn beginning at 10:00 AM. | |
| This will be an important opportunity for residents who live near the proposed Gogebic Taconite mine to voice their opposition to this disastrous legislation that would roll back commonsense environmental protections, silence the voice of the public, and eliminate accountability for mining corporations. Learn more about the bill here. Continue reading |
“Hello!
Roscoe and Evelyn Churchill were right. They said from the very beginning that the Flambeau Mine would pollute the water over there, and it has.Now we have a chance to do something about it, and WRPC is asking for your help. Please see the attached letter for details and submit your written comments to the Wisconsin DNR by February 20, 2012.
Ishpeming, Mich. – The Empire Mine is big and deep, spanning a mile across and plunging 1,200 feet to its lowest point.
Trucks that carry rock from the depths of the iron ore mine are the size of two-story houses and burn 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel a day.
The electric bill from this massive mining complex in the Upper Peninsula is bigger than Continue reading
By Lee Bergquist of the Journal Sentinel
11-1-11
Fourteen years after mining operations ended, water samples on the site of the Flambeau mine near Ladysmith show high levels of toxic pollutants.
In the most recent tests, state records show that copper and zinc levels have exceeded state toxicity standards for surface waters, potentially threatening fish and other aquatic life.
The findings come as mining regulation looms as a legislative issue this fall, and the Flambeau mine has been cited as a model of mineral extraction without environmental harm. Lawmakers are poised to rewrite mining laws and ease restrictions after Gogebic Taconite, based in Hurley, put plans on hold this year for a $1.5 billion iron ore mine until regulations are streamlined.
Read post: http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/tests-find-toxins-at-flambeau-mine-133051073.html
For Immediate Release June 20, 2011
Contact: Frank K. Koehn:
218.341.8822 (C) 715.682.0635 (O) 715.774.3333 (H)
penokeehillseducationproject@gmail.com
Ashland WI – Citizens from Ashland, Bayfield and Iron Counties concerned about mining developments have formed the Penokee Hills Education Project (PHEP). PHEP has organized to address the fast-track proposal to begin iron ore (taconite) mining in Northern Wisconsin’s Penokee Hills and Bad River watershed. The Penokee Hills and the Bad River watershed, located in Ashland and Iron Counties, have been targeted for iron ore (taconite) by a subsidiary of Florida-based Cline Group.
Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Mining industry, law firm contributed nearly $40,000 in two months
http://www.wisdc.org/pr121510.php
Madison – Republican Governor-elect Scott Walker accepted $10,000 in campaign contributions from a mining company owner and one of his executives around the time the company reportedly contacted Walker about developing an open-pit iron ore mine, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review found.
In addition, mine developer Christopher Cline of Beckley, West Virginia, several executives with his out-of-state mining companies, a law firm he does business with and owners of the northern Wisconsin land where the mine may be located contributed $29,750 to Democratic State Senator Jeff Plale, Republican Representative Mark Honadel, both of South Milwaukee, and Republican legislative candidate Shirl LaBarre of Hayward.
