The Super Bowl Ad You Should Have Seen  

Click here to listen to the open-pit mining bill radio ad directed at Senator Rob Cowles.  (This is a web-only video.)

This week the River Alliance launched a series of radio ads about the open-pit mining bill.  They are aimed at several state senators urging them to stand up for environmental protections and good governance.    

 

Wisconsin has weathered many difficulties over the last few years - the downturn in the economy and bitter political battles have taken their toll.  But the beating heart of Wisconsin's legendary commitment to conservation remains strong.  This is why the River Alliance and our friends in the conservation community are fighting with all of our might to prevent the seriously flawed open-pit mining bill from passing.

 

These ads are supported by our River Action Fund.  We are currently running them  in Green Bay, the Fox Cities and in Ripon.  We can use your help keeping them on the air.  Please consider making a donation to the River Action Fund today to support these ads.

 

Help keep these ads on the air, donate to the River Action Fund today! 

 

Update On the Open-Pit Mining Bill    

 

This Wednesday, Feb. 6th, the Senate and Assembly Committees dealing with mining will hold a joint session to vote on whether to move the mining bill towards a full vote on the floor. The bill in its current form still contains provisions that allow harm to rivers, lakes and wetlands. It still writes away the public's ability to ask meaningful questions about the costs of the mine to resources and the public before a permit gets issued.  

 

The bill still raises the interests of one out-of-state company above the law. Today's Wisconsin State Journal editorial said it well: 

"This isn't about just one mine in northern Wisconsin.

The Republican proposal to streamline the permitting process would apply statewide. And the economic and environmental impacts of mining projects could last for generations."

Yet, despite the overwhelming questions and concerns that remained unheard at the last hearing, despite the release of an alternative bill that addresses reasonable reforms without gutting environmental protections, despite the magnitude of change we see that leaders are charging full-speed ahead with rushing this bill to a vote.

You will hear some rumblings about amendments and efforts to address environmental concerns, but so far we have not seen any recommendations coming from supporters of the bill that would right the fundamental wrongs of this piece of legislation.

What Can You Do?

Follow our Twitter updates at Wednesday's hearing via Twitter (follow at @riveralliance). The hearing will start at 10 a.m.

Contact your legislators right now and ask them to vote no on SB1/AB1. Unless amendments were proposed that removed all the damaging provisions to wetlands, rivers and lakes, this bill is still bad for Wisconsin. Mining doesn't need to happen this way. And the bills' supporters have put the pedal to the metal to get this bill passed before too many questions get asked.

If you would like to support the River Alliance radio ads and keeping the pressure on legislator's to do the right thing please make a donation to the River Action Fund.      

 

Milwaukee River Forum Moves the Phosphorus Ball Forward        

photo: Milwaukee Riverkeeper

The River Alliance recently helped organize a forum in Port Washington to bring county, state, and federal agricultural conservationists up to speed on initiatives that will help improve water quality in the Milwaukee River Basin.

A water quality study, led by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District with support from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, will set water quality-based phosphorus limits legally enforceable under the Clean Water Act. The 40 year-old Clean Water Act only provides the "teeth" to grab hold of point sources, such as municipal wastewater treatment plants and industries, but Wisconsin's Phosphorus Rules give point sources the option to invest in phosphorus reductions at other sources of phosphorus in the watershed rather than take on prohibitively expensive treatments.

Targeting agricultural land is the least expensive way to reduce phosphorus, and the point sources understand this. This opens up opportunities for farmers to partner with point sources to help them achieve phosphorus compliance more efficiently. One of the challenges is that point sources and farmers are not used to working with each other. The large attendance at the forum suggests that agricultural conservationists in the Milwaukee River Basin understand their significant role as liaisons between the two groups and their responsibility for dealing with polluted runoff.

With many rivers and streams turning green each summer, the forum was a positive step toward bringing the lofty potential of the Phosphorus Rules down to better managed earth.