Newsletters 1995

December 5, 1995
August 28, 1995
July 5, 1995
March 24, 1995

December 5, 1995

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

The good news, like all those membership renewals, just keep coming. The Rusk County Citizens Action Group won a stunning victory when Rusk County Judge Frederick Henderson overturned the decision by the Natural Resources Board to dismiss our petitions asking the DNR to come up with rules to ban metallic sulfide mining. DNR lawyers had claimed they did not have the legal authority to ban metallic sulfide mining.  However, Judge Henderson ruled that Chapter 144 of the Wisconsin Statutes provides the DNR with broad powers with respect to the protection, maintenance and improvement of the quality and management of the waters of the State. In what can only be described as a bizarre move, the DNR has filed an appeal of the court decision. What is the DNR saying?  That they don't have the authority to protect the waters of the state?!

While we anxiously wait for DNR Secretary George Meyer to return to his senses, we will be circulating copies of the enclosed petition to STOP SULFIDE METAL MINING. The next time we go before the Natural Resources Board we want to have another 10,000 signatures to add to those we already have. Feel free to copy the petitions. And be sure to return the completed petitions to RCCAG (address on petition).

Activists in the western part of the state, including Northern Thunder and RCCAG, did some excellent public education and convinced two Eau Claire County Board committees to stop negotiations with Kennecott/RTZ for mining in the Eau Claire County Forest (see Leader-Telegram story enclosed). The debate over metallic sulfide mining continues in Clark, Jackson and Trempeleau Counties.

While Exxon has taken out full page ads in local newspapers proclaiming that their Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is "based on one of the most exhaustive environmental studies ever conducted for a project in Wisconsin" local residents have discovered that these studies are full of holes. A team of divers exploring Little Sand Lake adjacent to the proposed Crandon mine have discovered groundwater springs in the lake (see Pioneer Express story enclosed). This information directly contradicts Exxon's EIR and raises serious questions about integrity of the entire EIR.  As Dave Blouin of the Mining Impact Coaltion put it, "If you don't look for the springs, you won't find them."

Last but not least, we now have a local chapter of the WRPC in Crandon (see Pioneer Express story enclosed). Over 70 people came to the founding meeting of the organization. Tom Ward, of Nashville, was elected president; Pat Harrison, of Crandon is vice-president; Connie Benell, of Crandon,  is secretary; and Frances Davison, of Crandon, is treasurer. The myth that there is local support for the mine in Crandon is dead. This proposed mine has no future and the local chapter will continue to get that message out. This is an extraordinary step in the statewide effort to stop this insane project. Stay tuned.    

Sincerely,  

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec. 

August 28, 1995

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

The long-awaited DNR "white paper" on metallic sulfide mine waste has just been released and confirms what we've been saying for years, namely, that "waste created by mining of sulfide mineral deposits, such as those in northern Wisconsin, has the potential to create acidic drainage conditions, which can persist for many years and result in extensive environmental degradation." After reviewing what can only be called "experimental and unproven" technology for preventing acid mine drainage, the DNR makes a giant leap of faith and asserts that proposed sulfide mining in Wisconsin "will not result in the uncontrolled release of contaminants seen historically at mining sites throughout the western United States" (see enclosed Wisconsin State Journal, 8/5/95).

The campaign to get the DNR to adopt rules that would ban the mining of sulfide minerals in Wisconsin is far from over, despite the Natural Resources Board's rejection of our petition. The Rusk County Citizens Action Group (RCCAG) has mounted an impressive legal challenge to the board's decision (see enclosed fact sheet). A court hearing on that challenge will take place on September 11, 1995 at l:00pm in Judge Henderson's chambers at the Rusk County Courthouse  in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. We urge all who can possibly attend, to do so. This could be a landmark decision in Wisconsin's environmental history.

While Exxon proceeds with its mine permit application for the Crandon/Mole Lake project, Kennecott/RTZ has unveiled its plans for the "Wisconsin Volcanic Massive Sulfide Project" as it seeks exploration/prospecting permits in large areas of Jackson, Eau Claire, Clark and Trempealeau counties (see enclosed La Crosse Tribune, 7/14/95). Once again, this confirms what we've been saying for many years. The Flambeau deposit in Ladysmith is only the beginning of an entire mining district in northern Wisconsin. For those who are interested in the real history of RTZ, copies of Roger Moody's book, Plunder!, can be obtained for $12, plus $2 postage, from the Mining Center, 210 Avon St. #4, La Crosse, WI 54603. Checks should be made payable to "Mining Center."

This is the time of the year when we ask all WRPC members to send in their annual dues of $15 or $5 senior/low income. Our treasury has hit rock bottom and we have lots of work to do responding to Exxon's mine permit and Kennecott/RTZ's new exploration. RCCAG also needs your help in paying for their legal costs in challenging the Natural Resources Board decision. If you want to make a special contribution to the RCCAG legal fund, just mark your check "legal fund" and we'll see that it gets to them. We have enclosed a return envelope for your dues/contributions. Please put that check in the mail today. We're counting on your support to continue this battle.

Sincerely,

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec.

July 5, 1995

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

Despite a massive outpouring of citizen support for saving the Public Intervenor's Office, (Senator Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, received over 1300 pieces of mail in support of the the public intervenor, which she ignored!) the legislature has agreed to go along with Governor Thompson's plan to kill the environmental watchdog. As you know, the Public Intervenor in the Exxon mine permit case had hired three top scientists to evaluate the mine's impacts on groundwater, surface waters and the mine waste disposal facility. Environmental and tribal groups are beginning to discuss how to best continue the work of the intervenor now that funding has been eliminated for the office.

While the loss of the Public Intervenor is a setback, the campaign to save the intervenor reached many new people with information about the proposed Exxon mine and the dangers of metallic sulfide mining. In the final analysis, the battle for public opinion will prove decisive. And the latest evidence is that Exxon/Rio Algom is losing that battle.

It was hardly coincidental that on the day after the American Rivers conservation group named the Wolf River to its list of the nation's 20 most threatened rivers, Exxon/Rio Algom announced it was abandoning its plans to dump wastewater into the Wolf River. Instead, the company would build a 40 mile pipeline and divert the wastewater into the Wisconsin River at the Hat Rapids dam below Rhinelander. While Exxon's announcement may have been calculated to distract attention from the American Rivers announcement, David Blouin, of the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin, said the threat to the Wolf would remain because tailings from the mine would still be stored near Swamp Creek, at the headwaters of the Wolf. Whatever the motivation, it was a retreat from Exxon's repeated assurances that they could meet the stringent requirements for discharge into an Outstanding Resource Water (ORW) such as the Wolf.

In the meantime, the Forest County Potawatomi are pursuing efforts to regulate air quality on the reservation, while the Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa and the Menominee have petitioned the EPA to regulate water quality on their reservations. As the enclosed Isthmus article suggests ("Crandon Mine May Get Shaft") the assertion of the federal government's "trust responsibility" toward Indian lands may prevent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from approving the plan to destroy wetlands to construct the mine.

Discussions of future directions for the WATER Campaign to stop the mine will take place during the 10th annual Protect the Earth Community Gathering on the Mole Lake Sokaogon Reservation on July 21, 22 and 23. For more information call Anishinaabe Niijii, at (715) 766-2725. Hope to see you there.

Sincerely, 

Al Gedicks, WRPC Exec. Sec.

March 24, 1995

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

 Today is the sixth anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill and it is the occasion for the release of the Wisconsin Review Commission's Report on the Track Records of Exxon and Rio Algom.  The commission held a testimonial hearing on Exxon and Rio Algom last June at the Mole Lake Chippewa Reservation. Native people from Alaska, Ontario, Colombia and New Mexico came to the hearing and testified about the impacts of Exxon and Rio Algom on native and non-native communities. At a press conference releasing the report to the media, Secretary of State Doug La Follete (who was commission chairman for the June 18 session) said "We do not want to make the same mistakes in evaluating company claims about the proposed Crandon mine that the State of Alaska made about Exxon's assurances about an oil spill."  Copies of the report are available for $2 each. Make checks payable to "Wisconsin Review Commission" and mail it to Wisconsin Review Commission, 731 State Street, Madison, WI 53703. For $5, the report is available on an Apple disk in Quark XPress or an ASCII format.

 Jerry Goodrich, President of Crandon Mining Company (CMC), was given an opportunity to respond to the report before it was released, but chose not to do so. Instead, he said  the report was filled with "false, misleading information, innuendo, and charges which could be charactrized as malicious and defamatory (letter to Doug La Follette, 3/8/95). The WRC stands by the report and has offered to provide a documentation packet, with the sources used for the report, for $20. I urge all WRPC/WATER members to get a copy of this report and to make Exxon and Rio Algom's track record an essential part of the public debate about the proposed Crandon mine. Exxon can spend all the money it wants lobbying against the Bad Actor bill (which would require disclosure of mining company track records during the mine permit hearings) but it can't stop a grassroots movement from educating the public about what these companies have done in other communities.

 The most recent (March 1995) issue of Exxon's newsletter ("Crandon Chronicle) notes that J. Wiley Bragg, public affairs manager for CMC, reitred on March 1 and has returned to Texas. Given the overwhelming public opposition expressed during the Army Corps of Engineers scoping hearings in Madison (January 31) and Crandon (February 7), this was probably a wise move for Mr. Bragg. Better to get out before the whole project collapses. Exxon also lost an important battle at the Securities and Exchange Commission, where they tried to suppress a shareholder resolution about the growing resistance to the Crandon project. The resolution will be introduced by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters and six other religious congretations at Exxon's annual shareholder meeting sometime next month.

 A sure sign that the movement against the Crandon project is growing by leaps and bounds is the appearance of the Watershed Information and News Service (WINS), P.O. Box 7303, Madison, WI, 53703-7303. FAX: 608-643-5060. Email: PreserveWI@ aol.com  The idea behind WINS "is getting the information circulating to every corner of this emergent movement. We intend to take on the challenge of keeping the grassroots activated by providing a news and information service that will be available on paper, computer disk, and Email.

 While the grassroots opposition is growing, the mining companies and their allies in the governor's office are pulling out all the stops. Last January the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Association announced the formation of the Wisconsin Mining Association "to promote a pro-mining agenda." This agenda includes the elimination of the Public Intervenor's Office, which Gov. Thompson has called for in his state budget. As many of you are aware, the public intervenor was involved in the first Exxon permit review (1976-1986) and is involved in the present permit review process. The ability of the public intervenor to bring technical and scientific expertise to this review process is absolutely critical for a full public disclosure of the effects of the proposed Crandon mine on area surface and groundwaters. The public intervenor has hired experts to examine the critical questions relating to water drawdown, toxic discharges to the Wolf River and groundwater contamination from the tailings ponds. Gov. Thompson's attack on this office is a blatant move to eliminate a major legal obstacle to the permitting of this mine disaster waiting to happen. I am enclosing an Action Alert which I received from Becky Leighton-Katers of Clean Water Action Council. I urge you to write or call your state senator and state representative, as suggested by the alert. This is a critical resource which we can't afford to lose 

 I am also enclosing a copy of a resolution  I received from Herb Buettner, a local delegate to the Wisconsin Conservation Congress. The resolution calls for the Conservation Congress to tell the DNR Board, the governor and the legislature that  the office of public intervenor must be protected. Herb is urging everyone to attend the annual Spring Hearings of the Congress which will be held in all 72 counties on Monday, April 7 at 7pm. He wants to find people in each county to introduce the resolution toward the end of the meeting, after the questions in the printed booklet have been acted on. Fill in the blanks on the petition and give a copy or 2 to the chairman. Check your local newspaper or nearest DNR office for the hearing location in your county. You can also call the Congress liaison at the DNR, Mary Hamel, at (608) 267-7409. Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec.