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GTac engineer Tim Myers, lobbyist Bob Seitz and CEO Bill Williams in front of the Iron County Board.

GTAC To Appear Before Joint Mining Impact Committees

May 5, 2013  by Barbara With On Wednesday, May 8, 2013, the Town of Morse will host a question and answer session with officials from Gogebic Taconite (GTac) concerning the four-phase, 22-mile open pit taconite mine they plan to develop in Iron and Ashland Counties. This will be a joint meeting of the Town of […]

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Nick Vander Puy, Joe Rose, Amorin Mello and Richard Blakely

Penokee Hills Education Project Welcomed to Downtown Ashland

April 6, 2013 by Barbara With On the evening of April 5, 2013 the Penokee Hills Education Project and the Mining Impact Coalition opened the doors of their new offices and education center at 616 Main Street in downtown Ashland, Wisconsin. About 150 people attended the event, which marked the beginning of a permanent home […]

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Tyler Forks River, Photo: Rebecca Kemble

Penokee Water Walk from Bad River to Red Cliff, March 22, 2013 8 AM

March 21, 2013 by Barbara With Friday, March 22, 8 AM Bad River Wake House located just east of Ashland City Limits 30.2 mile, 1-day Voluntary Journey In Honor of International World Water Day 2013, the Misa Ziibii (Mississippi) Water Walk 2013 and local efforts to prevent sulfide mining in Northern Wisconsin The People of […]

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Rep. Robin Vos (R-), State Chair of ALEC, Sen. Ellis, Rep. Steve Kramer (R-)

Sen. Jauch Responds to Mining Bill

March 12, 2013   By Sen. Bob Jauch [On March 11, 2013 Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) sent the following letter to his constituents. It is reproduced here in its entirety with permission from Sen. Bob Jauch. -Editors] Dear Constituent: As you are aware the Governor has signed the mining legislation (SB 1) into law following […]

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mary williams

Rep. Mary Williams (R-Medford) Gives Misleading Information and Blames Internets

March 7, 2013 by Barbara With Despite the news that the DNR will no longer have regulatory power under the new mining bill, Rep. Mary Williams (R-Medford) implores people to “hope for the best.” “I’ve been told, you can trust in the DNR. I’ve been told for ten years that you have to trust in […]

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THE WORLD'S DEADLIEST MINE Just outside Butte, Montana lies Berkeley Pit: a pit filled with greenish poison a mile and a half wide and over a third of a mile deep. It was once a thriving copper mine where millions of tons of copper ore, silver, gold, and other metals were extracted from the soil. When underground mining became too costly in the 1950’s, Berkeley Pit became an open pit mine. As the mine grew bigger and deeper, groundwater began to seep into the pit, and pumps had to be installed to keep it from slowly flooding. Thirty years later, the mine was so exhausted that it was no longer profitable. The pit was abandoned and the water pumps were shut down. Without the pumps, rain and groundwater gradually began to rise in the pit, leaching out the metals and minerals in the surrounding rock. The water became as acidic as a lemon, creating a toxic mixture of heavy metal poisons such as arsenic, lead, and zinc. No fish live there, and no plants line the shores. There aren’t even any insects around, only some rare kinds of microorganisms survive in the toxic water. The Berkeley Pit had become one of the deadliest places on earth. The iron-rich water near the surface is reddish, yielding to a vibrant lime-green hue not far below the surface, where copper concentrations are higher. If you were to drink large amounts of this water it would kill you by corroding your body from inside.  Source: http://www.losapos.com

Under New Mining Bill, DNR Has No Regulatory Power

March 7, 2013 by Barbara With As the “contentious” mining bill AB1 is being debated in the Assembly, more people are mobilizing to protect the waters of the state from the environmental destruction that would be allowed to take place because of this legislation. Rep. Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) whose district is firmly opposed to the […]

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jeenanote

Rude Gesture Interrupts Pillage of Wisconsin; The Press is Not Amused

March 2, 2013 by Hematite Note: The following is in response to an article that appeared on February 28th on the WKOW web page, “Journalist loses credential after making obscene gesture in Senate chamber.” In the shadows of the Senate balcony nestled between the stately pillars of the chamber, the professional press is assigned two […]

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Ashland City Council member Richard Ketring guarateed that area residents, elected officials and local governments of the north are "united in defense of the water."

Resistance Mounts as Mining Bill Speeds Towards Final Passage

March 3, 2013 by Barbara With First claiming that new mining bill SB1 protects the environment, and then admitting that it actually allows mining companies to pollute without consequence, Sen. Tom Tiffany stepped up to take responsibility for spearheading what could become one of the worst long-term environmental and economic disasters in history of the […]

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The Tyler Forks River with Carolyn Lake and the headwaters of the Bad River. This land is sacred ground for the Anishinaabeg, and provides the fresh water for the entire area. The mine will go directly in its path.

Mining Bill Fractures Community

March 3, 2013  By Maureen Matusewic [Maureen Matusewic grew up in Hurley, Wisconsin, and recently moved back there. -Editors] Dear Senators, The mining bill is sliding into the final stage. I have studied the earlier bill and this new one for hours. My representatives at the state level have turned from the people of this […]

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Overpass Light Brigade, Madison WI on the eve of the legislature hearing the mining bill

UPDATE: Rep. John Nygren Drinks the Mine Water

February 27, 2013 by Barbara With Last night at Inn on the Park, WCMC caught up with Rep. John Nygren (R-89) and had some conversation about mining and water.  He begins by telling us we have nothing to worry about, but by the end, we are told we have good reason to worry. I believe […]

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