Tag Archives: Mining bill

by | January 16, 2013 · 9:25 pm

Mining Controversy: Honadel One Of Bill’s Authors

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.

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by | March 9, 2012 · 8:39 pm

News From Our State Legislators

It’s been a busy few weeks in Madison, and South Milwaukee’s two state lawmakers are weighing in on some of the key issues.

Rep. Mark Honadel put out a press release on Thursday about the positive state jobs news. From it:

“Economic recovery has been my top priority in the State Assembly.  The policies we have enacted this session have provided certainty for job creators and created a more stable business environment.”

Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Larson put out this press release on the mining bill and made it the subject of his latest Larson Report. Larson also put out this press release this week on what he is calling the “school voucher loophole.”

Also, Larson was quoted this week in a WISN-TV story about politicians on Twitter

Of course, I’d like to know what you think of these. Post your comments!

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by | March 6, 2012 · 9:41 pm

Sullivan On His New Job, Honadel On The Mining Bill And More Local Headlines

The Business Journal has an interesting story about former Bucyrus CEO Tim Sullivan’s decision not to enter politics (for now).

Check it out here. From it:

The name of Tim Sullivan, former CEO of Bucyrus International Inc.    , arose early and often as a possible candidate for U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl’s seat. There also was talk that he might run for governor in a recall election.

He opted instead for a unpaid job as a special consultant to the state of Wisconsin for business and work force development, and he says he has no regrets with the decision.

“I really didn’t want to go out and do the rubber chicken circuit and go through all the pain and suffering and spend a ton of money to get elected to public office,” Sullivan told me during a recent in-person conversation.

And check out these local headlines:

Also, NOW has published a new police blotter.

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by | January 26, 2012 · 2:17 pm

Why Honadel Supports The Mining Bill

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!

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by | December 20, 2011 · 10:13 pm

More On Drafting Of The Mining Bill, New Interim Oak Creek Mayor And Other Local Headlines

It turns out that South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel was one of five state lawmakers who led drafting of the controversial mining regulation bill now before the legislature.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just lawmakers who helped draft the bill. The mining industry also apparently played an advisory (how strong, not sure) role in shaping the wording — which has me further concerned about what this legislation will mean for the environment if enacted in 2012. Honadel’s quote from the Journal Sentinel story:

“Of course we worked with getting ideas from the mining company,” Honadel said. “If a biotech company came here, we would sit down with and get all of their ideas, too.”

Check out the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story here. And check out these other South Shore headlines:

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by | December 8, 2011 · 5:48 pm

Mining Bill Has A Fan In Honadel … Me? Not Sure

The long-awaited bill that would streamline the approval process for new mines in Wisconsin has finally seen the light of day — and count South Milwaukee Rep. Mark Honadel as a supporter.

“Our state flag bears a miner on it,” he said in a press release. “That’s not only our heritage, but it must be our future too. To ignore the potential of thousands of good-paying jobs would do a disservice to the people of Wisconsin.”

Learn more about the bill here and here.

At first glance, I absolutely like parts of it. I think a shorter, more-defined approval process is a good thing becuase I do think bureaucracy can unnecessarily slow projects like this down — and kill them altogether. Sometimes, government can’t get out of the way.

But I also worry that, with the compressed timeline and the proposed elimination of “contested case hearings,” mining projects may not get proper due diligence. Plus, the bill “would ease numerous existing restrictions on protections for wetlands, groundwater, lakes, rivers and streams,” according to the Journal Sentinel.

State Sen. Chris Larson also interestingly points out in his new Larson Report that the bill was not assigned to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, but rather to the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business. This I am sure is a reflection of the attempt to shift the debate on bills like this from a focus on environmental impacts to “jobs, jobs, jobs.” And it appears to be working.

But at what cost, jobs? I want to see more job creation as much as anyone, but there has to be a balance between appropriate regulation and the economics of a proposed mine.

One thing I definitely do not support about this legislation is the process lawmakers seem to be taking to pass it. A public hearing on the bill is planned for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis — just six days after it was introduced. This despite being worked on for months behind closed doors in the legislature.

I think that’s wrong. This bill deserves, demands, more careful consideration than what is being offered.

As for details of the bill itself, I guess I’ll wait and see.

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