- - suggests the hearing set for tomorrow in Hurley is pro forma.Wisconsin Assembly could vote on mining next week
Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald removes the possibility that legislators could be moved by testimony:
The state Assembly plans to vote next week on passing a bill opposed by environmentalists and tribal leaders that would make it easier for an iron ore mine to open in northern Wisconsin near Lake Superior.
Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald said in a statement Tuesday that nothing is definite but he would like to vote on the bill on Jan. 19. A public hearing in Hurley on the bill is set for Wednesday.
I am not against mining per se -- if you can't grow it, you have to mine it. It's an essential industry. One thing is pretty certain, however: If you want to doom a mine to endless conflict and litigation, make the permitting process look illegitimate. That is what the GOP and Walker are doing. Thinking they can use a shortcut because they have a majority, they are pushing through a bill that is highly suspect and that appears to rig the process in favor of the mining company at the expense of the state's resources. The inevitable result will be a backlash of outrage that, far from "streamlining" the process for this mine, will ensure that it is tied up forever in lawsuits. The smart and democratic approach would have been to have a meaningful public input process and create, to the extent possible, a win-win resolution to the issues. Unfortunately, brute force is all Walker and his people know.
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