After The Mining And Water Bills, All That's Left Is That Corporatized DNR Scheme

The fate of Wisconsin's open spaces and clean waters is coming into view, spurred by Gov. Walker's fear of the recall, and the picture is darkening by the hour.

First there was the Voter ID Bill to slow registrations and obstruct turnout in cities and on campuses - - Democratic strongholds - - all to help cement a GOP long-term majority and to make recalling Walker more difficult.

Then the blatantly partisan legislative redistricting - - done so sloppily despite big payouts to drafting attorneys - - but, again, driven by fear of recalls - - that a Federal judicial panel seems poised to toss it because it disenfranchises next year 300,000 State Senate voters.

But facing a recall movement poised to begin in just a few days, Walker is now trying to ramrod through a compliant legislature sweeping bills to turn the environment over to private interests, allowing for incursions into protected waters, pollution of streams, rivers and lakes - - and especially carving up state law to carve an open pit iron ore mine in the Penokee Range near tribal lands in the Lake Superior Watershed.

Walker needs everything done at warp speed on behalf of his corporate backers because he could be out of office by the spring.

Some leaders' conservation agendas are governed by fears of damage to the environment.

Walker's is driven by fears of losing his job and failure to deliver the goods to the people who helped push him to his 52% win.

His environmental plans, actions, goals and direction are now 100% political, so look for him to follow through quickly to revamp of the Department of Natural Resources, by Executive Order, into the business-led "Chamber of Commerce"-type agency - - his words - - he said he wanted current secretary and former home-builder Cathy Stepp to run.

A so-called charter DNR could evade many hiring and procedural processes governing the workings of other state, taxpayer-financed agencies, further shutting the public out of decision-making that governs the control and integrity of public land, water and clean air resources.

Then Wisconsin will not be open for business. The state and its natural resources will be run for and taken over by business and the boardroom doors will shut you out.