Comment Period On WI Mine Extended To Sept. 17th

You now have until September 17th to send comments to the DNR about the proposed open-pit iron ore mine that might be blasted out of the Penokee Hills in the pristine Bad River watershed by GTAC, an out-of-state coal-mining firm specializing in mountain-top operations.

Right now, GTAC wants to extract many tons of ore to sample; a permit to begin digging the full mine's first stage - - 4.5 miles long, 2,600 feet wide and at least 700 feet deep - - is more than a year away in a process fast-tracked by the GOP-run state legislature.

The details about the comment process are here.

Good background, here.

I agree that partisans like GOP legislators carrying water for the mine operation disrespect comments and their authors, but it's important to remember that comments become part of a legal record that other agencies with technical experts, including the US EPA, the Department of the Interior/Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Army Corps of Engineers, the DNR and the courts can access.

So take a minute and participate:

Comments may be submitted via mail to:

Larry Lynch, DNR
101 S Webster Street
Madison Wisconsin 53707

or by email to:

DNRWAMINING-GOGEBICTACONITE@Wisconsin.gov