Mining Company Denied Interest In Weakening Environmental Laws, But...

The Wisconsin Assembly's poorly-written, one-sided pro-industry mining bill has been shelved in the State Senate, where a separate bill with greater environmental and public-input standards will be written, according to remarks to the Journal Sentinel by State Senate special mining committee's chairman Neal Kedzie, (R-Elkhorn).

He said the Senate will work to balance economic and environmental interests. "We know that any mining proposal is not without some environmental impact, but I am not one to give away the store just because it makes economic sense," he said.

Among the Assembly bill's more controversial changes to existing law: the establishment of a fixed, 360-day permit review and issuance process. and the elimination of a key public hearing where witnesses had to testify under oath. 

The Assembly bill was written behind closed doors - - opened, however to the mining company's representatives, the Journal Sentinel has reported.

The bill was largely written by five Republicans and their staffs who huddled for months with different parties, including the business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and representatives of iron ore mining company Gogebic Taconite, which wants to construct a mine in northern Wisconsin.

The Department of Natural Resources's top mining expert, Ann Coakley, and Deputy DNR Secretary Matt Moroney were consulted, Moroney said. But lawmakers said they didn't brief environmental or wildlife groups...

Those records don't detail the level of collaboration, but according to legislators the following lawmakers shaped the legislation:

Honadel and Reps. Robin Vos (R-Rochester), Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) and Mary Williams (R-Medford). Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) also weighed in from time to time.

The lawmakers agreed they relied on representatives of Hurley-based Gogebic Taconite, which earlier this year demanded changes in mining legislation if they are to move forward with plans for a $1.5 billion open pit mine and a processing plant in a forested area of Iron and Ashland counties.

One state legislator even said the Assembly had no interest in giving the Native American tribe most affected by the mine a seat at the table, so it's pretty clear that the Assembly had lomited bill-writing input with the company playing a significant role.

So it's interesting that GTAC, the mining company had said at a town hall forum in northern Wisconsin on Jan. 19, 2011 that it wasn't out to weaken Wisconsin environmental law.

Listen to the exchange on the public radio network's MP3 audio link at the 2:19:56 mark  - it's towards the end and after an audience question from Duluth resident Carl Sack - - where Mike Fifield, the company Managing Director, makes this statement:

Matt Fifield: Ok, uhhh, Matt Fifield returning the question.  The question... was.. 

Moderator: Will there be involvement with governmental and political processes to try to change... 

Matt Fifield: Ok, uh, a project this large has a government affairs team and we have a government affairs team.  So, if the question is, are we talking to state, local elected officials in terms of our project, the answer is 'yes.'  If the question is 'are we trying to influence them to pass legislation that's going to weaken environmental laws, that's going to weaken federal and state air and water quality, the answer is 'no.' 

Moderator: Thank you.