Wisconsin mining bill passes Assembly
The Wisconsin mining bill that paves the way for Gogebic Taconite to move forward with plans for a giant iron mine near the shores of Lake Superior was approved by Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly and sent to Gov. Scott Walker on March 7.
Environmentalists opposed the bill and Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly dragged out the debate for the more than nine hours but the measure was eventually approved on a 58-39 party-line vote, The Duluth News Tribune reported.
It now heads to Walker, who has touted the proposal as his key job creation plan. He was expected to sign it into law early next week.
“On behalf of the unemployed skilled workers in our state who will benefit from the thousands of mining-related jobs over the next few years, I say thank you,” Walker said in a statement.
The bill is still facing legal scrutiny from conservation groups and the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa who contend the bill eviscerates environmental protections.
Despite possible lawsuits, the bill has been in the works for two years as backers worked to help Gogebic Taconite dig a miles-long open-pit iron mine in the Penokee Hills just south of Lake Superior.
The GOP has played up the mine as a huge economic engine, saying it would create hundreds of jobs for the impoverished region and thousands more across the state’s heavy equipment manufacturing sector. But company officials have refused to move forward until lawmakers eased the regulatory path for them, The Duluth News Tribune reported.
Republicans introduced a sweeping bill that would have overhauled the state’s mining rules in late 2011. Conservationists and Democrats contended the measure relaxed environmental standards and opened the door for pollution that would ruin one of the last pristine areas in the state.
The measure ultimately died in the Senate by one vote after moderate Republican Dale Schultz sided with Democrats against it.
Republicans gained a two-member majority in the Senate in last November’s elections, making Schultz’s vote irrelevant. The GOP reintroduced the bill in January, labeling the drive toward passage “Mining for Jobs.” The Senate passed it by one vote last week.
The outcome was never in doubt in the Assembly, where Republicans hold a 59-39 majority.
Under the plan, state environmental officials would have up to 480 days to make a permitting decision. Currently, they face no hard deadline. The public couldn’t challenge a permit decision until after it has been made.
The bill also would create a presumption that damage to wetlands is necessary. Applicants would have to submit a plan to compensate for wetlands damage, including a proposal to create up to an acre and a half of new wetlands for every acre affected, but Democrats argue such mitigation projects rarely work.
A mining company’s permit application fees would be capped at $2 million plus DNR wetland mapping expenses. Tax on a company’s revenue would be split 60-40 between local governments and the state. Current law imposes no cap on application fees and funnels 100 percent of revenue taxes to local governments to offset mining impacts.
The bill also exempts mining companies from the state’s $7 per ton recycling fee on waste materials, sparing Gogebic Taconite from paying the state an estimated $171 million annually for environmental protection programs.
