Tyler Forks, a tributary to the Bad River, located literally yards from the proposed open pit mine in the Penokees.  photo by stonehousephoto.com

Two weeks ago, the River Alliance headed up to Ashland County to see the scenery - while it's still there. In addition to catching lovely fall colors in the rolling Penokee Hills forest, we saw spectacular wetlands and lakes and a few of the rivers they feed tumbling down the hillside to Lake Superior. These are the wetlands, lakes and rivers that will be gouged, dumped on and drained if a proposed taconite (low-grade iron ore) mine goes forward, especially if the laws guiding mining operations are revised to weaken environmental protections.

We reported to you this spring when legislation rewriting Wisconsin's comprehensive mining laws surfaced. The bill was unbelievably awful: it attempted to completely gut protections for wetlands, lakes, streams and groundwater resources; remove most opportunities for public input; and undercut the ability of the local communities most directly impacted to work with the mining company. The bill was never officially introduced, but legislators made clear they intended to keep working toward a new law. The Senate has now formed a bipartisan committee to consider changes to mining laws, but in the meantime, the attacks on environmental protections have taken a different turn.

Last week Governor Walker introduced a "Back to Work Wisconsin" special legislative session. Page 4 of the 12-page list of legislation intended to create jobs includes regulating wetlands and rivers. While the details have not yet been revealed, the description of these bills uses terms remarkably similar to some of the most offensive aspects of the original mining bill. It appears Governor Walker and some members of the legislature hope to achieve significant revisions in environmental protections - not just for mining operations but for any and all activities around the state that impact waters - under the guise of job creation, and outside the mining committee process.

If you recall the special session called at the first of this year, normal processes for reviewing and voting on legislation do not apply. These bills could be rammed though with little to no public process.

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