ACTION ALERT: Sean Duffy Attacking Wisconsin’s Water

Posted on October 27, 2014 by Barbara With

October 27, 2014

Rep. Sean Duffy and his Tea Party extremists are trying to take away our protection.

Rep. Sean Duffy (WI-R-7) is in a hotly contested race with Kelly Westlund of Ashland for the Congressional seat representing District 7, which includes the Penokee Hill and Bad River watershed. Duffy recently co-sponsored two bills that passed in the House that take aim at the Treaty Rights of the Lake Superior Chippewa, as well as all of the waters of Wisconsin.

The bills—HR 5078 and HR 4854—are co-sponsored by Tea Party Republicans and Southern Democrats in mining states and are based on a corporate manifesto written by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), an organization funded in part by David and Charles Koch. They are designed to severely limit the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers from implementing the Clean Power Plan.

The bills passed the House in September and are part of ALEC’s “model legislation” based on the Tea Party ideology found in “U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Assault on State Sovereignty.” Portraying the power of the EPA as dangerous federal overreach, the manifesto aims to protect mining interests across the country from being held accountable for their impact on the environment.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

We need people power before the election to help educate the state on the truth. We need people writing Letters to the Editor to your local papers, sharing this information with your family and friends, and forwarding the link to people who might be undecided about who to vote for.

The truth is if Walker, Duffy and Ryan get re-elected, they will continue to bring the Koch Brothers and the influence of all their corporate money has here in Wisconsin. If Walker, Duffy, Jamey Francis, Dane Deustch and their Tea Party friends prevail, they will dismantle any protections we have from mining.

Remember how we were told over and over, “If the mine would pollute, the EPA won’t allow it.” This is the same lie they told us in January 2011 about not wanting to change the Wisconsin State mining laws. GTac knew when they told us that that the new bill was already in progress.

Find your local newspaper here. Write a letter. Support Kelly Westlund. And then get out the vote and let’s elect people not paid for by the Koch Brothers: Kelly for Congress, Beth Meyers for Assembly, Susan Happ for Attorney General and Mary Burke for governor on November 4, 2014. If you live outside of District 7, find out who in your district supports We the People and clean water.

Help others learn the truth and get out the vote on November 4th.

Your very life may depend on it.

One of many undocumented streams and waterfalls of the Bad River watershed. Photo: Maureen Matusewic

Bad River Watershed Association hosts “Wisconsin’s Mining Standoff”

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Barbara With

Standing room only at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center for the screening of 371 Production’s “Wisconsin Mining Standoff.” Photo: Bobbi Rongstad

On July 24, 2014, the Bad River Watershed Association hosted a screening of 371 Production’s Wisconsin’s Mining Standoff at the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center. The film is running on Al Jazeera America, and tells the story of Gogebic Taconite’s invasion of the Penokee Hills with the intention of installing a 22-mile open-pit mountaintop removal iron ore mine at the center of the Bad River Watershed. The event had standing room only.

After the film, a panel discussion was held and included people who have been instrumental in standing up to protect the water. Topics included the hydrology of the Bad River Watershed, recent EPA ruling in Bristol Bay, GTAC, recent legislation, and how we can continue to stand united in defense of the water by writing letters of support for the Chippewa Federation at their August 21, 2104 meeting with the EPA. Audience members asked informed questions and got straight answers.

Photo: Bobbi Rongstad

Panel members included Sen. Bob Jauch (D-25), Chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Mike Wiggins Jr., Ashland County Board Chair Pete Russo, Ashland County Board member Charles Ortman, 371 Productions producer Devon Cupery, and Tracy Hames, executive director of Wisconsin Wetlands Association. The discussion was facilitated by Allie Raven, Bad River Tribal Member and BRWA Mining Impact Committee member.

Watch the entire informative discussion below.

Citizens Successfully Challenge Mining Laws

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Barbara With

February 21, 2014 by Rebecca Kemble

On February 16, 2014 two groups set out from opposite directions on Highway 77 to demonstrate their opposition to a law written by and passed for GTac that prohibits public access to managed forest land around mining activity sites. Nearly 100 people marched to the Moore Park Siding for a press conference, and several dozen breached the “Forbidden Zone” to enjoy the gorgeous, sparkling winter day in the Penokee Hills.

There were no arrests and no visible presence of law enforcement officials.

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Barbara With

Carl Sack

Bernie & Ryan

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Edith Leoso

Paul DeMain

HELP

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Citizens to Challenge Mining Laws

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Barbara With

Press Release February 12, 2014
For More Information Contact:
Barbara With – 715- 209 5471
Paul DeMain – 715-558-2991

Wisconsin Citizens Target Illegal Mine Company Pandering

Moore Park Siding, Wisconsin – Wisconsin citizens working to protect the pristine environment of the Penokee Range in Northern Wisconsin from morally illegitimate mining exploration and socially unacceptable environment degradation will gather on Sunday, February 16 from 1-3 PM to help bring public awareness to the proposed destruction of Wisconsin’s natural resources.

A 2 PM Press conference on Moore Park Siding, approximately 5 miles east of Mellen on Highway 77, will feature citizens who will enter the area deemed “closed to the public” by Gogebic Taconite (GTac) officials.

Citizens from Northern Wisconsin, Iron and Ashland Counties, the Chippewa Federation and those with historic ties to the ceded territory in the Bad River Watershed, and others impacted by downstream degradation from the huge open pit operation have declared their intent to violate the alleged closing of Public Managed Forest Lands (MFL) under a special law introduced by pro-mining Senator Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst). Tiffany said it was the intent of the original pro-mining, streamlined permitting process bill, known as SB-1, and written by Gogebic Taconite attorneys, to “allow degradation of the environment.”

Dubbed the “Hunt to Save the Golden Goose” now laying pristine golden eggs of clean water, forests, lakes, trout streams, asbestos-free air and unlimited prosperity in a growing tourist-based economy, this action will include citizens who have worked tirelessly to prevent a mine, once highlighted to be one of the world’s largest open pit mines by Gogebic Taconite, from destroying the livelihood of regional farmers, tourist-based businesses and resource harvesters. The mining project is headed by GTac Manager Bill Williams, currently under investigation for committing environmental crimes in Spain.

While pro-mining legislation prevailed in the GOP-dominated atmosphere of Tea Party politics and millions of dollars in lobbying contributions during the 2010-2012 election cycle, a wide majority of citizens in Northern Wisconsin oppose the project funded by the 18^th richest billionaire in the world, Chris Kline of Florida.

Senator Tiffany introduced further legislation to prevent citizens from monitoring mining exploration and charting sedimentation of trout streams and wetlands, reported by the public and confirmed by the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources during drilling in the summer of 2013. The closure also allegedly prevents Chippewa Treaty citizens from observing and harvesting reserved resources.

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DNR Holding Public Hearing on GTAC Bulk Sample Permit

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Barbara With

photo: Ros Nelson

News Release Published: August 1, 2013 by the Central Office

Contact(s): Ann Coakley, DNR Waste and Materials director – 608-516-2492.

MADISON – The Department of Natural Resources has scheduled a public informational hearing August 15 on the proposed bulk sampling activity and the preapplication notice to mine at Gogebic Taconite’s potential mining project near Mellen, Wisconsin.

The bulk sampling activity and potential mining site are located in the town of Anderson, Iron County, and the town of Morse in Ashland County, with the majority of the site in Iron County. For bulk sampling, the company has proposed to remove a total of 4,000 tons of rock. The rock would be removed from four or five sites using standard excavating equipment and could also involve some blasting activity. The rock would be loaded on to haul trucks and transported off-site for testing and analysis.

The hearing will be held at the Hurley High School, 5503 W. Range View Drive, Hurley, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. The hearing will be a public informational hearing, where individuals can provide oral or written comments as well as learn about the proposed bulk sampling activity and the preapplication description of the potential mine project.

Agency staff will provide a brief summary of the available information about the bulk sampling and DNR approvals needed by Gogebic Taconite. These informational presentations will be at 10 a.m. and again at 5 p.m., The department will also provide a summary of the steps that must be followed prior to the submission of a mining application for the project.

The department will accept both written and oral comments at the hearing on the proposed bulk sampling activities and the preapplication description. A hearing officer will be present to conduct the hearing and may put time limits on individual oral statements to ensure an opportunity for all persons present to make statements. The hearing officer may also limit the number of representatives making oral statements on behalf of any person or group.

The public may also submit written questions at the hearing through the hearing officer, and there may be an opportunity for department staff to respond as part of the hearing.

30-day public comment period ends September 3

Any member of the public may also submit written comments on the proposed bulk sampling activity or the preapplication description of the potential mining project. The DNR will review all comments that are received on or before Sept. 3, 2013.

Comments may be submitted via mail to Larry Lynch, DNR, 101 S. Webster Street, Madison, Wisconsin 53707, or by e-mail to: DNRWAMINING-GOGEBICTACONITE@Wisconsin.gov.

More information available on-line and at local libraries

Information submitted to the agency by Gogebic Taconite, including the proposed bulk sample plan and preapplication description, is available on the Gogebic mining project page of the DNR website. People can sign up to receive email updates on the project through that page by clicking on the link for “subscribe to Gogebic Taconite project email updates.”

Gogebic Taconite’s project materials are also available at the Hurley Public Library, 405 5th Ave. N., Hurley, 715-561-5707; and at the Vaughn Public Library, 502 West Main St., Ashland, 715-682-7060.

United In Defense of The Water

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Tag Archives: Gogebic Taconite LLC