Assembly Passes Mining Bill
[UPDATED2] With a 59 to 36 vote Thursday, the state Assembly voted to approve a mining bill that, if approved by the full legislature and signed into law, would make significant changes to the mining laws currently on Wisconsin's books.
The bill passed along a party-line vote.
Rep. Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) stated that she proposed amendments to the bill, which were rejected. One of her amendments would have allowed 100 percent of tax revenue generated from mining operations to go to local municipalities, she said on her Facebook page. The Assembly bill only allows 60 percent of tax proceeds to go to local municipalities. The rest goes to the state's general fund.
"It was tabled, of course," Bewley stated about her amendment. "Better things can happen in the Senate."
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said he hopes the state Senate can pass a mining bill before the legislative session ends in mid-March, according to an Associated Press report. "I don't see us leaving town without a mining bill passed out of the state Senate," the Associated Press quotes Fitzgerald as saying. "We've got to hustle."
Republicans have advocated for the bill, stating it would allow Gogebic Taconite, a subsidiary of a Florida-based company, to quickly obtain the necessary permits for developing an iron-ore mine in the Gogebic-Penokee Range. Opponents have said the bill endangers the environment and financially burdens Northern Wisconsin communities.
The bill's passage drew immediate criticism from Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy group.
"Assembly Republicans voted today to roll back commonsense environmental protections, silence the voice of the public, and eliminate accountability for mining corporations," stated Amber Meyer Smith, government relations director at Clean Wisconsin. "Their actions stand in contrast to the will of Wisconsin citizens and jeopardize the health of our families for the profit of out-of-state mining corporations."
On Thursday, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters unveiled its first statewide television advertising campaign this week in opposition to mining bill AB 426.
The advertisement emphasizes the human health consequences of weakening Wisconsin’s current conservation laws and encourages citizens to contact their Senators to oppose the bill as it now heads to the Senate from the Assembly.
“If given the choice between a clean glass of water to drink or one that is potentially contaminated with arsenic, lead and mercury, I’m going to choose the clean one. But the real point here is that Wisconsinites shouldn’t have to choose. We all have a right to clean, safe drinking water,” said Kerry Schumann, executive director of Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.
The league says the acts of mining and processing iron from mines before it is shipped can expose local communities to toxic chemicals like arsenic, lead, and mercury. The organization has compiled online information about mining and its relationship to health threats.
To view the ad, please visit: https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/273/donate.asp?formid=specdon
This article was updated to include Clean Wisconsin's response to the bill's passage. Update2 includes comments from Bewley and Fitzgerald.