Group Predicts Great Lakes Compact Conflict

The Assembly Mining Bill unveiled late last week would create new standards for permitting high-capacity wells that would likely create a conflict with the Great Lakes Compact, says a state environmental organization.

The Great Lakes Compact is an agreement between eight Great Lakes states and two Canadian Provinces regarding the treatment of the Great Lakes.

“Wisconsin was a leader in passing the overwhelmingly popular Great Lakes Compact, which establishes important standards that protect the water in our magnificent Great Lakes,” says Amber Meyer Smith, director of government relations at Clean Wisconsin. “By establishing new standards that force the DNR to permit environmentally destructive water withdrawals, the proposed mining bill would create a conflict with the Great Lakes Compact that would likely lead to legal challenges.”

The compact prevents water withdrawals in the Great Lakes basin that would result in significant adverse environmental impacts, Clean Wisconsin says.

“The passage of this bill would likely create a situation where the DNR would be required to deny a permit under the Great Lakes Compact, but approve a permit under state statute,” says Smith.  “Either the authors of the bill do not understand the standards set in the Great Lakes Compact, or they are trying to stealthily circumvent these important Great Lakes protections.”
 
Gogebic Taconite’s proposed iron mine in Northern Wisconsin could use as much as 41 million gallons of water each day according to estimates – more than the daily water use for the entire city of Madison, Clean Wisconsin says.

The use of such large quantities of water could lower water levels in nearby lakes, as well as rivers and streams that flow into Lake Superior, the group reports.