Aug
16
2011
Listen to Ken Rose’s in-depth interview with Al Gedicks at What Now.
Jun
07
2011
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.
Jan
24
2011
For Immediate Release, January 18, 2011
| Contacts: | Jamie Saul, (608) 628-2420 Laura Gauger, (218) 724-3004 Al Gedicks, Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, (608) 784-4399 Marc Fink, Center for Biological Diversity, (218) 525-3884 |
Lawsuit Filed to Stop Release of Toxic Metals at Wisconsin’s Flambeau Mine
MADISON, Wis.— The Wisconsin Resources Protection Council, the Center for Biological Diversity and Laura Gauger filed a Clean Water Act citizen suit today against Flambeau Mining Company over its partially reclaimed Flambeau Mine near Ladysmith, Wis. According to the suit, the mining company is violating federal law by discharging pollutants, including potentially toxic metals like copper, iron and zinc, into the Flambeau River and a tributary known as “Stream C” that flows across the company’s property.
Dec
21
2010
By Matt Hrodey, Milwaukee Magazine
December 16, 2010
A Milwaukee-based mining company, the Commerce Group, is suing the government of El Salvador for $100 million, arguing it unjustly revoked permits for a gold mine in the country. Some environmental activists are crying foul, saying the lawsuit, filed under the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), seeks to exploit the country, where the government has halted all gold and silver mining due to environmental concerns.
(Note: This legal action supersedes the action initiated in June 2009)
1. Press Release – January 18, 2011 – Lawsuit Filed to Stop Release of Toxic Metals at Wisconsin’s Flambeau Mine
2. Fact Sheet – January 18, 2011 – Summary of Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Against Flambeau Mining Company (for an updated July 2011 fact sheet, please click HERE)
3. Mine Schematic
4. Background Information on Flambeau Mine
5. Official Correspondence
- Complaint by WRPC, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Laura Gauger to Kennecott’s Flambeau Mining Company for violations of the Federal Clean Water Act – January 18, 2011
- Response to WRPC Notice Letter, issued by Kennecott’s Flambeau Mining Company – December 30, 2010
- Notice Letter sent by WRPC, the Center for Biological Diversity, and Laura Gauger to Kennecott’s Flambeau Mining Company – November 16, 2010
6. Scientific Reports that Form the Basis of WRPC’s Complaint
- Report on Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination at the Flambeau Mine, David M Chambers, Ph.D. and Kendra Zamzow, Ph.D., Center for Science in Public Participation, June 5, 2009
7. Contact Information:
Proposed Lynne mining sparks new debate over ongoing issue
Deborah Bedolla, The Lakeland Times
September 14, 2010
It has been more than a year since Tamerlane Ventures, a publicly-traded international mining firm, first expressed interest in exploring a sulfide ore deposit near the town of Lynne.
The Oneida County Mining Oversight Committee has since been considering opening a public bid for leasing mineral rights to allow exploratory studies. The committee’s consideration has been, in the words of chairman Dave Hintz, “slow and deliberate” in the face of the myriad technical, economic and environmental issues the proposal raises.
A well-attended July 24 information session in Lynne brought some of those issues before the public, but it was only the beginning of a process that is likely to become contentious quickly.
“It’s going to be extremely controversial and it’s going to be extremely long term. It’s not going to happen quickly, if at all,” Dan Kuzlik, the UW-Extension professor who facilitated the information session and is serving as liaison for the committee, said.
Hintz underscored the long-term nature of the conversation at a committee meeting last week: “Mining is not going to happen in Oneida County for some time. We’re in the early stages of this process.”
Jul
12
2010
July 12, 2010
Dear WRPC Member,
On July 2, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency informed Kennecott that they were not required to obtain an underground injection permit for their mine’s wastewater discharge system. Kennecott had already decided that they didn’t need such a permit and asserted that they had all the permits they needed to begin mine construction of the Eagle mine. The Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment accepted Kennecott’s assertion and gave the go-ahead for bulldozing the site.
By Al Gedicks, Sociology
University of Wisconsin – La Crosse
Abstract: Multinational mining companies are finding it increasingly difficult to get approval for new mining projects in sensitive areas in most advanced capitalist nations. To overcome grassroots environmental resistance to new mining projects, multinational corporations, in cooperation with the state, have attempted a variety of strategies, including the following: (1)legislative initiatives to thwart local democratic control; (2) legal challenges to local zoning authority; (3) mass media campaigns; and (4) attacks on tribal sovereignty. The development and effectiveness of these strategies will be evaluated in the context of the intense controversy over metallic sulfide mining in northern Wisconsin.
