January 11, 2012
Dear WRPC Member,
Despite efforts to discourage people from northern Wisconsin from attending a public hearing on the Iron Mining bill (AB 426) by holding the hearing in Milwaukee, many northern residents got in their cars or caught a bus at 5am to make the long trip to testify at the hearing. Opponents of this wholesale gutting of Wisconsin’s mining regulatory framework outnumbered supporters 2 to 1!
The Wisconsin Resources Protection Council (WRPC) is asking you to voice your support for a proposal by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to list an unnamed stream at the Flambeau Mine site (known as “Stream C”) as “impaired” due to copper and zinc toxicity.
December 8, 2011
Dear WRPC Member,
Supporters of Gogebic Taconite’s (GTac) open pit iron mine in the Wisconsin State Assembly are once again trying to rush through a major assault on Wisconsin’s mining regulations. Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) said that lawmakers will hold a news conference on December 8 to reveal details of the legislation. Although copies of the bill have not been available to the public or legislators who represent the proposed mining area, the bill is already scheduled for public hearings on December 15 with the stated goal of getting the bill passed by the end of the year. What’s the big rush to completely overhaul Wisconsin’s mining regulations to accommodate the wishes of one mining company that has never developed an iron ore mine?
WRPC’s Al Gedicks was on WPR’s Joy Cardin show on Thursday, October 27. After clicking here to listen to the program, drag the bar to the 20-minute mark to begin Al’s segment.
Read Al Gedicks’ Z Magazine article on resource colonialism in the Lake Superior region by clicking HERE.
August 31, 2011
Dear WRPC Member,
As you know, WRPC, the Center for Biological Diversity and Laura Gauger are embroiled in a lawsuit against Kennecott Minerals over ongoing violations of the Clean Water Act at the Flambeau Mine site near Ladysmith, Wisconsin. What happens at Flambeau stands to impact ALL of us who are fighting ill-advised mining proposals in the Great Lakes region.
You know all too well what we mean. There are now over a dozen mining projects in various stages of permitting in the Lake Superior region of northern Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. All of these projects have the potential to affect the health and environmental quality of life for communities that depend upon clean water and clean air for their economy and their culture. Some mining projects, like Kennecott’s proposed Eagle Mine in Michigan are poised to begin underground construction as early as mid-September. But this is not a done deal. There are still efforts to delay construction, including an administrative appeal of the permit decision. We must do whatever we can to support our friends who are “on the ground” and have dedicated their lives to protecting the water.
Listen to Ken Rose’s in-depth interview with Al Gedicks at What Now.
A New Proposal from Kennecott, but the Old Adage from Roscoe Churchill Still Rings True: “Just Grass Over a Grave”
Kennecott / Flambeau Mining Company (FMC) is proposing to convert an existing 0.9-acre, lined ”detention basin” (pond) at the partially reclaimed Flambeau Mine site to an ”infiltration basin” and construct two new infiltration basins at the site to handle contaminated runoff. I recently received notice of a public hearing that has been scheduled on the proposal for Wednesday August 3, 2011 at 5 PM in Ladysmith, Wisconsin.
July 5, 2011
Dear WRPC Member,
Gogebic Taconite (GTac) almost got away with it. The coal-mining company that wants to dig a gigantic open pit taconite mine near Lake Superior assured the audience at a public forum in Ashland last January that they were not seeking to change Wisconsin mining regulations or public participation in the permit process.
Five months later they drafted a 186 page Iron Mining bill that does exactly that. All so that one particular mine could be permitted in record time. If the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) does not complete their review of the mine application within 300 days the application is automatically approved.
Originally published by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
by Al Gedicks
May 19, 2011
Should the state’s regulatory authority over the metallic mine permitting process be dramatically reduced to accommodate the wishes of a mining company to receive a permit in record time? This is not a hypothetical question.
Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) has met with several legislators about its proposed open pit iron ore (taconite) mine along the border of Ashland and Iron counties to push legislation that would drastically speed up the mine permitting process.
