State Assembly passes sweeping mining bill

MADISON - The vote is in and new mining regulations are a step closer to becoming Wisconsin law.

After nearly nine-and-a-half hours of debate, the state Assembly passed the mining bill, 59 to 38, Thursday evening.

The bill is now only the governor's signature away from becoming law. Governor Walker has promised to sign it.

The law will pave the way for a new $1.5 billion iron mine near Lake Superior.

Senate approval last week came on a 17-16 vote.

“We all want the same thing,” said State Rep. John Nygren, a Republican from Marinette. “We all want to protect the environment, but we also want to employ our people.”

“Senate Bill One as it stands is an environmental and economic disaster waiting to happen,” said State Rep. Penny Bernard Schaber, a Democrat from Appleton.

The bill passed along party lines with no amendments. It sets a 480-day deadline on a permit decision, excludes public challenges until after a permit has been granted and exempts mining companies from paying the state's recycling fee on waste materials.

“The calculation that this bill is making is that we're going to lower the bar because the only way this company has told us they are going to come here is if we'd let them do it on the cheap,” said State Rep. Fred Clark, a Democrat from Baraboo.

“The ability to have a safe, environmentally friendly mine, which is what we are doing today is what the permitting process will guarantee,” said State Rep. Robin Vos, the Republican Assembly Speaker.

Florida mining company Gogebic Taconite has said its needed reform before moving ahead with its northern Wisconsin project.

Republicans say it will create thousand of jobs across the state, including 6,350 during construction. They say the average wage would be $80,000 a year.

In a statement, Governor Walker thanked lawmakers for, "passing a way to streamline the process for safe and environmentally sound mining in Wisconsin"

Environmentalists and area Native American tribe, the Bad River Band, hope to still block the mine plans.

“We stand ready to fight and resist this effort to the bitter end, until the mining company goes away,” said Mike Wiggins Jr., the Bad River tribal chairman.

The tribe says it will use all available resources to challenge the legislation in court.

This isn't the first time Republicans tried to pass mining legislation. Last year, a state Senate vote blocked a similar bill from becoming law.