Today the Sierra Club and Wisconsin Resources Protection Council today released an open letter and a policy briefing paper urging Wisconsin legislators to preserve Wisconsin’s common sense “Prove It First” Mining ‘Moratorium’ Law.
To date, 50 organizations, including Midwest Environmental Advocates, Trout Unlimited, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin, Clean Wisconsin, the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, the League of Women Voters, the Alliance for the Great Lakes and many more statewide, regional and national groups such as the Natural Resources Defense Council are joined together in opposition to efforts announced by state Senator Tiffany to repeal this landmark law. A letter sent to the legislature concludes with: “We, the undersigned representatives for our organizations, respectfully call upon you to preserve and protect the Mining Moratorium Law to guard our natural resources and our right to live in a clean, healthy environment.”
The letter was delivered with ‘The Mining Moratorium (“Prove It First”)’ briefing that includes this background information:
- To this day, the mining industry has yet to offer a single example of a successfully operated and closed mine in metallic sulfide minerals.
- The Flambeau mine violated the Clean Water Act, has ongoing water contamination issues and cannot be an example to satisfy the Moratorium law.
- The history including the votes of current legislators and elected officials who voted for the Moratorium in 1997, including:
1997 Wisconsin State Senate:
Passed 29-3 on March 11, 1997
Including current Senators Cowles (R), Darling (R), Fitzgerald (R), and Risser (D), and Wirch (D)
1998 Wisconsin State Assembly:
Passed 91-6 on February 4, 1998
Including current Senators Harsdorf (R), Lasse (R), Olsen (R), and Nass (R), Representative Young (D), and Governor Scott Walker
The organizations also released the summary of ongoing research revealing new details about water contamination from the Flambeau mine. Robert E. Moran, Ph.D. - a Geochemist and Hydrogeologist with 45 years of domestic and international experience with mining and water quality issues in both the public and private sectors - has reviewed the development of the mine including permitting efforts, the short operating period and years of monitoring.
Dr. Moran was asked to review public documents related to the Flambeau mine to help determine the state of public resources – ground and surface waters – impacted by the mine during and after mining. The summary released today includes important new findings:
- Ground and surface water quality is being and has been degraded at the Flambeau mine site—despite years of industry public relations statements touting the success of the Flambeau mining operation.
- The Flambeau mine is an example of a deeply flawed permitting and government oversight process. The opposite of a clean mining operation, groundwater quality data shows contaminants that greatly exceed baseline data and water quality and aquatic life criteria.
- The Flambeau mining and remediation practices are not a sustainable, long-term solution. The mining company may have satisfied state oversight and disclosure requirements, but site ground waters are contaminated and treatment would be extremely costly.
Dr. Moran’s summary will be followed soon by a report that includes full documentation of the conclusions reached in his research. The summary is being released ahead of the full report to counter the ongoing false claims that the Flambeau mine safely mined in metallic sulfide ore without causing contamination of public waters. A one-page summary of critical points can be found here.
From 1994-97, a large network of state and regional organizations including environmental and conservation groups, Wisconsin tribes, unions, churches and other citizen groups joined together to oppose the Crandon mine proposal and pass the Mining Moratorium law with overwhelming public support and signed by Governor Thompson in 1998. The network’s efforts successfully educated the public on the dangers of mining in metallic sulfide minerals.