The Certainty Of Pro-Mining Editorials, Legislation

I read this recent Journal Sentinel editorial blog posting - - Sand mining bill needs adjusting - - and I thought, I've seen this movie before.

It was nearly two years ago, when the iron mining bill surfaced, and the Journal Sentinel editorial board had this to say - -  Yes to an iron ore mine; no to a bad Assembly bill

You know with certainty that when the sand mine de-regulation bill emerges from its "adjusting," the key corporate-first priorities originally inserted by special interests and their legislative operatives as the bill's core - - its raison d'etre - - will remain intact.

That is why they named the bill the Regulatory Certainty Act. 

Which calls for greater regulatory (wink-wink) authority vested in the Wisconsin DNR - - and don't be fooled by this sudden burst of GOP statism; Walker has stacked the upper echelons of the DNR with transfers from the builders and other powerful private sector interests whose task is to deregulate from within.

It's not for nothing that Walker went out of his way to appoint a DNR Secretary, Cathy Stepp, with her "chamber-of-commerce mentality." 

That'll embed you some certainty when it comes to mining permitting and all its related regulation de-regulation opportunity.

And speaking of certainty - - the latest special interest and GOP buzzword for government-by-room-service - - where is the certainty for citizen fairness and a leveled playing field?

Where is the certainty that clean air, fresh water and public budgeting is not give over and away to these sand and iron mining businesses at the expense of everyday people living downstream and downwind?

Why does State Senator Tom Tiffany, (R-Hazelhurst), keep introducing bills to reward mining interests - - the sweetheart sand mine de-regulation bill, the unsuccessful effort to close northern forest land where iron mining might someday occur, and the iron mining bill itself that earned this truth-in-journalism headline in The Capital Times:

Mining bill author admits it will cause environmental harm

My position: If you hand over legislating, and regulating to special interests and lawmakers who know their bills are going to harm the environment, you will get a polluted environment - - and that goes for the political environment, too.

The Journal Sentinel can do better than calling for "adjusting" another bad bill. 

And it could begin asking why there is so much certainty in the legislative process on behalf of the same special interests.