Newsletters 1996

November 25, 1996
October 1, 1996
July 3, 1996
March 13, 1996
January 5, 1996

November 25, 1996

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

Thank you all for responding to our membership renewal and legal defense fund appeal last month. We set a new record for membership renewals and were able to send an additional $600 to the Forest County chapter of WRPC to assist in their legal challenge to the Town of Nashville's "closed door" meetings with Exxon. The company is moving ahead with the local agreement and has scheduled a public hearing on the tentative agreement for December 12, 1996. 

Tom Ward, president of the Forest County WRPC chapter has called the local agreement "an attempt to sell the town down the river." (see enclosed stories from The Forest Republican and the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel). They've gathered over 200 signatures of registered Nashville voters and petitioned for a Special Town Meeting where residents will vote on whether they want their town board to sign any local agreement with Exxon before the DNR has issued a final environmental impact statement on the mine and the master hearing process has been completed. This meeting is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, 1996 @ 1:00pm at the Nashville Town Hall.

There will also be a meeting of the Wolf Watershed Educational Project at the Public Library in Shawano (128 S. Sawyer Street) on Saturday,  December 7, from 10am-3pm.  The results of last spring's "Save Our Clean Waters Upriver Speaking Tour" are still coming in with more and more counties and townships who have passed resolutions opposing the mine and the pipeline (see Wisconsin State Journal story enclosed). In response to the quoted assurances from Bill Tans, the Exxon mine project coordinator for the DNR, Secretary of State Douglas La Follette wrote that "the DNR appears to have assumed the role of public relations official for the mining interests...It is one thing to state what the rules and regulations are and what the DNR'S role is in enforcing such laws. But it is another thing to be making blatant statement of opinion that can only be interpreted as expressing support for Exxon's position and tending to preclude any further input by the citizens most affected by these actions!" (letter of 11/5/96, reprinted in The Pioneer Express, Crandon).

Speaking of DNR cheerleading for Exxon, ECCOLA (Environmentally Concerned Citizens of Lakeland Areas) has just released a 60 page report, "A Question of Bias: The Wisconsin DNR's Record on Metallic Mining Issues."  If you want to obtain a copy of the report, contact ECCOLA at P.O. Box 537, Minocqua, WI 54548. Fax (715) 356-2850.  My documentary on the Exxon resistance movement, Keepers of the Water (39 mins) is also available for rental ($15, plus $3 postage) or purchase ($45, plus $3 postage). Make checks payable to "Mining Center" and send to me at 210 Avon St. #4, La Crosse, WI 54603. If you haven't sent in your membership yet, please do so now. This is the most critical time in this ongoing battle with Exxon/Rio Algom.

Sincerely, 

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec. WRPC

October 1, 1996

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

Dick Diotte, Exxon Rio/Algom's public relations spokesperson, paid a back-handed compliment to the organizers of the Save Our Clean Waters Speaking Tour when he told the Wisconsin State Journal (8/11/96) that "They've cranked up the heat 10-fold from what it was 10 months ago." It was probably no accident that Crandon Mine project manager Jerry Goodrich was replaced with Rodney Harrill immediately after the tour and the impressive lobbying campaign for Rep. Spencer Black's sulfide mining moratorium bill last May. And the No Northwoods Mining Company even offered to purchase the proposed Crandon/Mole Lake mine and toxic waste dump for $1.00 (see "Offer to Purchase Crandon Mine," enclosed).

Now Exxon/Rio Algom has turned up the heat on the town of Nashville and is pulling out all the stops to get a local agreement for the mine signed this fall, well before there is even a draft environmental impact statement on the proposed mine. The Forest County chapter of WRPC has issued a citizen alert to all Forest County residents (see enclosed ad from The Pioneer Express) and has uncovered some highly questionable legal expenses of Nashville attorney Kevin Lyons regarding potential legal challenges to the Sokaogon Chippewa Tribe's water quality regulations (see "Mining charges raise questions, Wisconsin State Journal 9/14/96, enclosed).

Apparently Kevin Lyons was so busy worrying about whether the tribe's water quality regulations would interfere with negotiating a local agreement with Exxon/Rio Algom that he didn't have time to defend the Town of Nashville and the Nashville zoning committee when the Australian mining giant, BHP, sued them for denying their permit to drill on land leased for mineral exploration in the area west of Bishop Lake in Forest County. In her complaint on behalf of BHP, former Public Intervenor Waltraud Arts alleged that members of the zoning committee voted against BHP's application because they feared exploration could lead to mining (what a strange idea!) and that public sentiment was against the proposal. During public testimony on the permit, Dave Anderson, speaking for the Forest County chapter of WRPC, said the permit was not consistent with the development pattern in the town's land use plan and does not meet the health and welfare concerns a majority of the residents expressed in a public opinion survey. 

Attorney Lyons responded to the suit by getting a stay which was long enough so that the Town of Nashville Board of Adjustment could reverse the decision of the zoning committee. Now that BHP used its power of intimidation to get its way, the lawsuit will probably be dropped. This is the same corporation that helped draft a bill that eliminates the rights of Papua New Guinea citizens adversely affected by BHP's (52% owned) open pit copper and gold mine near the Ok Tedi and Fly rivers to seek compensation in court. The mine dumps 80,000 tons of tailings containing copper, zinc, cadmium and lead into the Fly and Ok Tedi rivers every day. In 1992 the Australian Conservation Foundation reported that the first 70 kilometers of the river was "almost biologically dead and species diversity over the next 130 kilometres had been drastically reduced. Fertile river bank subsistence gardens, plantations and approximately eight square kilometres of forest had been dramatically reduced."

In order to be able to respond to this incredible corporate onslaught we need to replenish our war chest. Please use the enclosed envelope to mail in your WRPC membership renewal. Annual dues are $15 or $5 senior/low income.  Our treasury has hit rock bottom and we have lots of work to do in the coming weeks to stop any local agreements from being signed before all the facts are known. The Forest County WRPC chapter has retained an attorney to assist them in evaluating their options in the face of Exxon/Rio Algom's push for a local agreement. If you can contribute to this legal defense fund, please earmark your contribution "legal" on the memo line of your check. 
Please put your check in the mail today. We're counting on your support to continue this battle.

Sincerely,

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec.

July 3, 1996

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

On June 6, 1996 the Wisconsin grassroots environmental movement against mining lost its heart and soul when Evelyn Churchill passed into the spirit world after having open heart surgery. Along with her husband Roscoe, these two blazed the trail for those of us who are concerned about corporate plans to turn northern Wisconsin into a mining and toxic waste sacrifice zone. Evelyn and Roscoe began fighting metallic sulfide mining back in 1975 when Kennecott Copper first invaded their community. Over the years Evelyn became a tireless researcher of Wisconsin's mining laws and, along with Roscoe, a formidable opponent against those who would sacrifice Wisconsin's clean water for profit.

This year's Protect the Earth Community Gathering (July 26-28) is dedicated to the memory of Evelyn Churchill and Hilary "Sparky" Waukau, another  environmental warrior in the long battle against Exxon's proposed Crandon/Mole Lake mine. If you can't make it for the entire weekend, be sure to attend Saturday's organizing and networking meetings (see attached flyer).

The Save Our Clean Waters Speaking Tour along the Wolf and Wisconsin rivers was a great success. The 12 day tour drew over 1000 people in 22 cities and towns and culminated in a rally at the Hat Rapids dam and a parade past Exxon/Rio Algom corporate headquarters in Rhinelander on May 4, drawing 1000 people, according to a Sheriff's Department estimate. The tour brought many new people into the movement and provided a major boost for Rep. Spencer Black's (D-Madison) sulfide mining moratorium bill.  Despite an overwhelming Assembly vote (95-4) to bring the bill out of committee for consideration, the powerful mining lobby convinced the Republican-controlled Senate to adjourn a week early to avoid sending the bill back to the Assembly for a final vote.

Multinational mining companies routinely overthrow democratic regimes that get in their way in the Third World (eg. Chile, 1973) but now it is clear they are prepared to shut down the operation of Wisconsin state government if they don't like what is on the legislative agenda. We will not stand for this. On June 12 we announced the beginning of a Mining Moratorium Pledge Campaign. The campaign will ask every candidate for state legislative office to pledge to support the mining moratorium bill when it is reintroduced during the next legislative session in January 1997. With Kim Plache's recent victory in the recall election, the Democrats have regained control of the Senate. One of the candidates for Kim Plache's vacated Assembly seat in the 62nd district (Racine) is Susan Michetti, a longtime WRPC member and environmental activist.

Exxon's mine waste disposal and mine dewatering plans have come under increasing criticism from all sides in recent months and the anticipated draft EIS that was scheduled to be released last month has now been postponed indefinitely. This project is about to collapse. Join us at this year's Protect the Earth Gathering and find out how you can help send the Exxon/Rio Algom folks back to Houston and Toronto.

Sincerely, 

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec.

March 13, 1996

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member,

Exxon thought they could negotiate a local mining agreement with the old boys on the Forest County Board before anyone knew what was happening. This agreement would have paved the way for state approval of the company's mining permit before all the scientific studies on the mine's impact were completed. Thanks to the vigilance of the Crandon WRPC chapter, local citizens became aware of these negotiations and demanded that the public be allowed to participate in these discussions. Despite strong citizen protest the Forest County Board voted to go into closed session on two separate occasions (see enclosed from the Pioneer Express). 

When it was clear that the board was not listening to their own constituents, Chuck Sleeter, Vice chairman of the Pickerel/Crane Lakes Protection and Rehabilitation District, announced his write-in candidacy for the Forest County Board in the March 19 election. Wayne La Bine, from the Sokaogon Chippewa Mining Impact Committee, is already on the ballot for the Forest County Board. WRPC has also started legal action to determine whether the board violated the open meetings law. At present, the local agreement process is on indefinite hold.

Meanwhile, RTZ/Kennecott tried to get an exploration and mining lease with the Jackson County Board for 3,500 acres of county-owned forest land. Over half of those who testified at a February 15 public hearing in Black River Falls were against the proposal, including the Ho-Chunk Nation. When the Jackson County Board voted 15-3 against the proposal, the major concern was the unproven waste disposal technology for metallic sulfide mining (see La Crosse Tribune, enclosed.)

There are a number of important dates to put on your calendar this spring. The Wolf River Watershed Education Project is planning a press conference on Monday, March 25 (the Exxon Valdez anniversary) in Rhinelander, Green Bay and Madison, to announce the beginning of the Wisconsin and Wolf Rivers Speaking Tour (see enclosed). Monday, April 8 is the big day for the Wisconsin Conservation Congress county meetings. Ban sulfide mining will be one of the questions on the ballot. On April 11, a panel of legislators will discuss Rep.  Spencer Black's mining moratorium bill in Green Bay. Call Dave Newman, Green Bay Director of Wisconsin Citizen Action for details (414) 496-1188. On April 20 the WATER Campaign is planning a rally at the State Capitol  in Madison at noon to focus public attention on the threat to Wisconsin's water from metallic sulfide mining (call 715 766-3408 for details). Don't forget to contact your state legislators about supporting the Mining Moratorium bill (AB 758) before the floor vote, scheduled for  May 7 in the Assembly. And don't forget the statewide family gathering to stop Exxon at the Hat Rapids Dam on the Wisconsin River at 12 noon on Saturday, May 4. The grassroots opposition to metallic sulfide mining has really mushroomed in the last six months. The May 4 gathering to stop Exxon should be a culmination of these efforts. See you there.

Sincerely, 

Al Gedicks, Exec. Secretary  

January 5, 1996

Dear WRPC/WATER Network Member, 

Just before the holidays we had some notable victories. The Eau Claire County board approved a  a ban on sulfide mining as part of its 10 year plan for the county's forest (see Leader-Telegram, 12/20/95 enclosed). Kennecott/RTZ continues to meet grassroots resistance to mining in Clark and Jackson counties. These are extremely positive developments. It means that grassroots activists can effectively put the mining industry on the defensive about the unsolved problems of metallic sulfide mine waste.

With the introduction of Rep. Spencer Black's "mining moratorium" bill last December 12, we now face the challenge of conducting a statewide educational campaign about metallic sulfide mine waste.  As Madison Capital Times legislative reporter Matt Pommer has written, "The Exxon mine will be the Superbowl of environmental fights in Wisconsin for the 1990s..The coalition hopes to force every member of the Assembly and State Senate to take a stand on the legislation - either through a vote or at constituent meetings throughout the state" (see Antigo Journal 12/18/95 enclosed) The Native, environmental, conservation and sport fishing coalition that is pushing the bill held press conferences in several locations around the state, including Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Eau Claire and La Crosse. (see Wisconsin State Journal, 12/13/95 enclosed). 

The industry's response to the bill is pretty lame - we can count on the DNR to use existing laws to protect the environment from mining contamination. This simply does not square with DNR's legal challenge to the Rusk County court decision (9/95) which said that the DNR did indeed have the authority to protect the waters of the state by banning metallic sulfide mining. And now that the Secretary of the DNR serves at the pleasure of the Governor, we have even less reason to believe the DNR will deny Exxon a mine permit. Rep. Spencer Black has also introduced legislation (the "Conservation Restoration" bill) that would repeal the governor's power to appoint the secretary of the DNR. It would also restore the Office of the Public Intervenor. Many thanks to Rep. Black for taking the leadership on these critical environmental issues.

Just in case Exxon/Rio Algom doesn't get the message, this same coalition will be doing speaking tours up and down the Wolf and Wisconsin Rivers, starting on April 22 and building up to a major statewide rally at Exxon headquarters in Rhinelander, on Saturday, May 4. (see description of Wolf Watershed Education Project, enclosed). The mining moratorium bill will come up for a vote in the legislature on Tuesday, May 7, 1996.

On Saturday, January 13, 1996 the Crandon chapter of WRPC will hold an organizing meeting at the Mole Lake tribal environmental building at 1:00 pm. If you're coming north toward Crandon on Highway 55, go past the tribal administration building and turn right on Little Sand Lake Road. The building is on your right just down the road. Stay tuned.

Sincerely, 

Al Gedicks, Exec. Sec.