South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel is at the center of the first big debate in the new legislature — the effort to pass a new mining bill.
Honadel is one of four authors of the Assembly bill. Check out the press release here. From it:
“Not only will this provide family-supporting jobs in northern Wisconsin, but it will have a direct impact on businesses in the Milwaukee area such as Caterpillar and Joy Global,” Rep. Mark Honadel (R-South Milwaukee) said.
Of course, not everyone agrees with Honadel, who is also quoted in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Associated Press stories. South Shore state Sen. Chris Larson is among those concerned with the proposed bill. His quote in this story:
“They have the votes to do whatever it is that they want,” added Senate Minority Leader Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee. “But if they go in another partisan direction, if they continue down the wrong path that they did the last two years, it’s going to show that we’re not going to have jobs, we’re going to continue to be divided and the people of Wisconsin are going to be frustrated.”
Of course, I’d like to know what you think about the mining bill. Post you comments below.
Me? I’m concerned that it bends too much toward mining companies. The concerns I raised last summer are still valid, and this line in today’s Journal Sentinel story really concerns me: “The bill would also allow for the filling in of a lake bed in some circumstances and allows for the destruction of wetlands, if the loss is made up elsewhere in ceded territories of northern Wisconsin.”
Really? That strikes me as a bridge too far. I’m no tree hugger, but I hope any mining bill maintains sensible environmental protections. Provisions like that don’t strike me as sensible.
South Milwaukee Blog 
I have spoken to several people and business owners who live in the Upson, Hurley, and Montreal area. Every person I spoke with wants the mines. Maybe our state leaders need to speak with the local officials business owners and citizens up there.
Didn’t the city destroy wetlands in order to build that behemoth of a school that cost taxpayers 42 million dollars?
I know the tired, old argument is that Republicans want dirty air and water – anything to pay back their big business donors – really? You really accept that as true? Republicans have to live here too so why would they want that?. If it was up to the Dems we’d still be at 8% unemployment with $3 billion debt.
Not at all. I don’t believe for a second Republicans want that. I just think this individual bill may go too far in taking away environmental protections. I’m hoping a common-sense compromise can be reached … even though I realize Republicans, with full control of the legislature and governor’s mansion, have little incentive to compromise. That’s unfortunate.
I also question how many jobs this mine will create. For starters, if this bill passes as is, the mine is likely to be challenged in the courts for years. So I guess that creates a few jobs for lawyers. I also question how many jobs this mine would truly create in South Milwaukee. Caterpillar is such a global giant — subject to the global macroecomics of mining — that I have trouble seeing how any single mine could create even one new job here. I hope I’m wrong.
To SM OK, it should be noted that the people of Bayfield, Ashland and Iron counties voted by a 70-30 margin to re-elect their state representative, over a challenger whose campaign was based on his support for the mine.