Gogebic Taconite and Mining Bill

We need jobs.

Will Wisconsin legislators go "Keystone" on us?

From the Pierce County Herald:

Debate continued in the Wisconsin State Assembly this afternoon on the bill to speed up the process of granting state permits for new iron ore mines – like the one Gogebic Taconite wants to build in Ashland and Iron counties.

Germantown Republican Dan Knodl said the measure would create jobs and prosperity to people throughout the Badger State. And that includes mining equipment makers in Milwaukee, 400 miles from where the proposed Gogebic mine would be built. But Appleton Democrat Penny Bernard-Schaber said the authors of the 180-plus-page bill should start over. She criticized an amendment to raise the maximum amount the DNR could be paid for permit-related costs from $1.1 million dollars to two-million. Bernard-Schaber said the state would be left “holding the bag,” because it might cost up to eight-million-dollars for the DNR’s permit-related expenses. She also said local communities would be hurt by a proposal to give the state 40-percent of tax revenues from the products of the mines – even though the original plan called for a 50-50 split of the state-and-local shares. And Bernard-Schaber said local residents would be hurt by a $150,000 limit on collecting personal property damages due to the mine.

At one point, the presiding officer called for the Assembly gallery to be cleared because of hecklers. Madison Democrat Mark Pocan accused Republicans of over-reacting, saying it’s wrong to eject the entire gallery over the behavior of a few. But speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) said quote, “It’s more than a protest to have obscenities raining down on the Assembly floor,” and unless a specific culprit can be identified, he said lawmakers did not have a choice but to throw everyone out. The culprit was apparently found, and the debate continued.

Imagine that. Hecklers.

Boy, I didn't see that coming.

Bottom line: Leftists/Democrats don't want jobs to be created on Scott Walker's watch.

Yes, they pander to the environmentalists, but for them, this is mostly about obstructing Walker and preventing the state from acquiring new business.

Of course, the Republicans control both the Assembly and the Senate, but the Senate is where things get sticky.

From the Associated Press:

Republican Gov. Scott Walker is behind the bill, calling again during his State of the State address Wednesday night for lawmakers to pass it. Republicans control the Assembly, making passage in that house all but certain.

Assembly approval would kick the bill to the state Senate, but from there things get murky. Republicans control the Senate, but they've been treading cautiously on mining changes. The GOP holds only a one-vote majority in the chamber and four GOP senators face potential recall elections later this year. Passing the bill could generate even more anger among voters.

The Senate appointed a special committee to study mining issues last fall, but the panel has met only once. Sen. Neal Kedzie, R-Elkhorn, the committee's chairman, ticked off a number of questions about the Assembly proposal Thursday, saying the Senate might revamp the bill. All he could say for sure was he wants to get a mining bill out of the Senate before the legislative session ends in March.

"I'm not here to criticize the Assembly bill. They're putting out a product they feel their members are able to support, but that doesn't mean we can't add additional ideas and make the legislation better," Kedzie said.

The bill would require the state Department of Natural Resources to make a decision on an iron mining application within a year. Currently the process is open-ended.

...Mine opponents spent the day speaking out against the legislation in a Capitol hearing room, propping signs against the walls that read "there will be no mine, end of story, get out" and "they say mine, we say ours!!"

Members of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa filled the room. The tribe's reservation is located just downstream from the mine site and fears pollution from the mine will contaminate their beloved rice beds. Tribal elder Joseph Rose regaled listeners with the tribe's creation stories, saying humans were meant to live in harmony with nature and not take more than they need.

"That's the very basis of our spirituality," Rose said. "What will we be leaving to that seventh generation? Will there be clean water? Will there be fresh air? Will there be birds and animals?"

There has to be balance, of course.

The environmental impact should be considered, but it shouldn't be used as an excuse to prevent jobs from coming to the state.

Unreasonable obstruction sends jobs elsewhere.

Creating jobs and being good stewards of the earth are not mutually exclusive.