Former Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan has kept a relatively low profile in the past couple of months, following the closing of the Caterpillar deal.
He did speak briefly at an event on Sept. 24 unveiling the Bucyrus plaque being erected at Heritage Park on 10th and Milwaukee Avenues.
Now, Sullivan has been named chairman of a group studying the mine regulatory process and pushing for legislation to streamline the approval process.
Here is the story. From it:
Sullivan said the association would not lobby for legislative changes, not serve as a conduit to funnel political donations and wouldn’t fund advertising touting the benefits of mining to the Wisconsin economy.
The association also would not accept funding or be represented on the board by Gogebic, Sullivan said.
“We want to be completely independent of any potential investors (in the mine),” Sullivan said.
The association expects to provide data and information that shows how iron ore mining can be done without harming the environment, Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the association isn’t being formed solely because of Gogebic, noting that Aquila Resources, a German company, began exploring for gold in Marathon County in June.
“It’s pretty clear that commodity prices are driving all of this interest right now,” Sullivan said.
As I’ve posted before, this pending legislation has me concerned, especially if it means a significant reduction in environmental reviews done before a mine is built, as previous legislation floated did.
I hope lawmakers find the right balance on this issue. I fear they won’t.
South Milwaukee Blog 