Mining Tour Continues

October 16, 2017

As the Mining Give-Away Bill moves forward, a broad coalition of environmental groups and students is putting on on-campus  ‘Stop the Mines Tour’ to talk about this horrible bill and its implications, the Back 40 mine, and what you can do to stop it.Mining Tour

The tour will include speakers like Al Gedicks of the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council,  Allison Warner of the River Alliance of Wisconsin, Dave Blouin, our very own mining chair, and many more including speakers from the League of Conservation Voters, the Menomonee Tribe, and more.  

The tour will discuss:

  • The Mining Give-Away Bill or SB 395 removes provisions which require companies to prove that their mine won’t pollute before they build it, restricts the public’s voice in the permit-granting process for mining, reduces taxpayers’ financial protections from mine pollution, and undermines the state’s wetlands protections.
  • The Back 40 Mine: a proposed open-pit metallic sulfide mine which the Canadian firm Aquila Resources, Inc. plans to build; the site is in Lake Township, Michigan on the banks of the Menomonie River.  This is the tradition and sacred land of the Menomonie people.  The planned mine will process zinc, gold, copper, silver, and lead on site and store the waste on site- a mere 150 feet from the river, which means that the waste could easily and quickly leak into the river.  This is a threat to local health, drinking water, sturgeon populations, tourism, and agriculture; moreover, the Menomonie River feeds into Lake Michigan, potentially impacting everyone who relies on the lake’s abundance.

Learn more at one of the events: the list will be updated as more information becomes available

Last week the tour kicked off with a stop in Eau Claire. Other stops include:

  • October 16, 2017 at 8:00pm
    CPS 116, UW-Stevens Point
    Learn more here

  • October 19,2017 at 5:00pm
    WAEE Summit
    Outdoor Amphitheater, Concordia University-Mequon

  • October 20, 2017 at 6:00pm
    Greenquist Hall 103, UW-Parkside
    Kenosha, WI
    Click here for more

  • October 24, 2017 at 6:00pm
    Rose Hall 250, UW-Green Bay

  • October 26, 2017 at 6:00pm
    Main Classroom, Escuela Verde
    Milwaukee, WI
    Click here for more

  • October 30, 2017 at 7:00pm
    Honors House Room 196, UW-Milwaukee

  • October 31, 2017
    Alumni Memorial Union, Marquette College
    Milwaukee, WI

  • November 8, 2017 at 12:00pm
    C101, UW-Waukesha
    Click here for more