Policy Institute Cited In Journal Sentinel Op-Ed Has Far-Right Ties

Mike Nichols builds his case for the proposed iron ore mine in Northern Wisconsin around a Canadian think-tank report in which Wisconsin's regulatory climate takes a beating.

The mine would be enabled by a controversial pro-mining water de-regulation bill that will get a hearing in Hurley next week.

Nichols, one of my former colleagues at the paper, now works for a Wisconsin conservative think tank, and is free to use whatever resources or perspectives he wants in an opinion piece.

But a little digging shows that the policy think tank he cites without elaboration - - the Fraser Institute - -  has, like its American counterparts (Heritage, Cato, etc.), a history, a point-of-view and its critics.

The Fraser Institute known for its free-market, libertarian bent, has connections to ALEC and other conservative organizations, and financial ties to ExxonMobil, a Koch family foundation, the Bradley Foundation, among others in that network.

One report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation noted:

The Fraser Institute has come under harsh criticism from several groups. Trade unions have lambasted the organization for its recommendations to abolish minimum wage regulations and to end rules that force workers covered by a union agreement to pay union dues.

In 1999, the Fraser Institute raised the ire of scientists and health professionals when it sponsored two conferences on the tobacco industry. They were titled "Junk Science, Junk Policy? Managing Risk and Regulation" and "Should government butt out? The pros and cons of tobacco regulation." The institute was accused of putting its credibility on the line by allying itself with the tobacco industry's efforts to undermine credible scientific research.

Finally: I find it fascinating that a publication from a think tank named for the legendary Fraser River is cited to support mining so close to another body of water - - the Bad River - - see map - - in the northern reaches of the Lake Superior watershed.

The proposed mining operation would be close to trout streams and the estuaries of the wild-rice harvesting Bad River Band reservation (see video) - - a perspective that is not the focus of the op-ed. But which is available from the Bad River Band, at length, here.

The Bad River Band also offers this view on its Facebook page:


Would the citizens of Vancouver who love their Fraser River tolerate a fully-built-out, 22-mile long open pit mine dug near this:

Fraser River: Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario

The Fraser River(Source: Biodiversity Institute of Ontario)