Corporate Wisconsin Seems Determined To Trash Lake Superior
Just as Northern Wisconsin is confronting this potential reality - - release of acidic runoff draining from proposed iron mining through the Bad River to Lake Superior, - - the same area could soon see oil tankers docking with oil fracked from North Dakota shale as well as heavier tar sand crude ripped from the boreal forests there.
As quickly as you can say "Exxon Valdez," kiss the Big Lake goodbye.
The Great Lakes hold 20% of the planet's fresh surface waters - - and the entire Great Lakes basin is suffering increased toxic contamination as we speak:
Surface water pollution is up in the Great Lakes Basin, despite a downward trend overall.
According to a report from the Environmental Protection Agency, the amount of pollutants released into surface waters in the Great Lakes Basin jumped 12 percent in 2011. At the same time, toxic surface water discharges fell by 3 percent nationwide.
8 comments:
The sulfuric acid flow from the mine will kill the wild rice and starve the native Americans. This is pure genocide.
Why does the price of "jobs" always seem to be the enviorment? After the trashing of the Great Lakes through the late 60's and the gradual rise in the realization that they are a resource that will be priceless in the future(Let the Texans drink oil!)we have decided to forget? Shortsighted.....
How can the Repubs author a mining bill that includes environmental standards and then within the same bill allow the DNR to exempt iron mining form these very standards. If that's not enough the bill goes on to give iron mining provisions that conflict with existing environmental law to take precedence and control over any other state environmental protections. This is really pounding sand up the public's butt.
Once upon a time lake michigan was flammable. Are we really going back to that ON PURPOSE!!?!? We're stupid and we've earned the extinction that we're merrily charging headlong towards.
The other States who signed on to the Great Lakes Compact need to stand up and say "No!" The rest of the country will be begging for this water soon enough--and we're going to make it unuseable for OURSELVES, much less them? Anyone remember the drought last summer? Anyone remember that GEORGIA was in a drought recently, and was asking for a pipeline from Lake Michigan?
wolf, the other states didn't say boo when Wisconsin teatered on the brink of passing this last year -- don't expect anything now.
And remember, there are dems that could do something in some other great lake states -- we'll see, but it appears there is no support to stop this at all.
There is no need to this ore -- market is flooded now -- this is all about grandstanding and creating a national fight for walker.
It is also going to generate massive amounts of cash for his criminal defense fund.
JAF54 -- this is really about a massive media failure -- we are spoon fed propaganda daily that disguises itself as "objective journalism" -- a lie we were all taught throughout school.
Yes, the false dichotomy that we need to destroy environmnet and literally kill people in order to create jobs is another lie.
But this one is propped up by the false credibility given to habitual liars and the entirely dishonest talking points they spew.
And Wiscosnin Public Radio is, in a sublte way, as bad or worse than WTMJ-AM -- its less inflamatory and presented more level-headed, but they also "balance" reasonably truthful statements with bold-faced lies.
How bout thoze publik skoools -- the done edukated me so good and the rest of the publik that no one can eeven reed and understand anymore, much less aktually think kritikally.
They taught me that both sides always have ekwil value and merit -- the media is "objektive" and "balansed".
They taught us all reeel reeel good -- so thank a teecher and enjoy the massive skrew you are going to get!
I wonder if you are aware that petroleum is the 3rd largest commodity by tonnage currently being shipped on the Great Lakes (with crude oil being the lion's share of that petroleum).
It's been moving safely and securly in double hulled tankers for many years.
Post a Comment