Update: Not surprisingly, the Assembly passed the bill on a party line vote. We’ll see what the Senate does.
South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel has an edidtorial in Oak Creek Patch explaining his support for the mining reform bill making its way through the legislature.
Check it out here. From it:
The bill to be considered by the State Assembly this week reforms the process by establishing clear and achievable standards to issue a permit for an iron ore mine. We can pass legislation that forms a reasonable process for active mining while still protecting our environment.
The result of encouraging the mining industry to come back to Wisconsin will mean thousands of jobs and new investment in our state. Jobs will be created around the state from Iron and Ashland Counties where the mine would be located to southeastern Wisconsin where mining equipment is manufactured.
The bill is expected to go to an Assembly vote today (and will surely pass). I will keep you posted.
In the meantime, I’d like to know what you think. Post your comments below!
South Milwaukee Blog 
Jobs, jobs, jobs. Apparently the people who live there are the greatest advocates of this project.
Jobs, jobs, jobs. Certainly.
Clean water, clean water, clean water. Of course.
And of interest to the local pols that fix the roads, sewers, water …. is to receive a revenue stream from the operation that will be sufficient to absorb increases in local costs. The bill as written was extremely week on this.
Prediction: that weekness will be ‘fixed’ in committee. Translation: lipstick will be put on a pig.
Mining has a long history of privatizing profits and socializing the costs. I take in larger profits if I can get the people to absorb the expense of broken roads, increases in police and school costs, and the expense of cleaning up the water I polute.
Going unanswered is who wrote the bill. It was the industry.
From the industry point of view, there is nothing wrong with a regulation that you get to write yourself.
I’m not feeling the liberty.
Thanks for all that info, Dave. I will contact Mark and give him a real tongue lashing.