Wildcat: Life-sustaining resources trump cost of Wisconsin mine

Wisconsin is about to jump into a deep hole. State legislators stand ready to repeal the current moratorium on industrial acid mining by passing Senate Bill 395 and Assembly Bill 499. Those who vote for this bill set a course for costly, persistent environmental damage.  

In fact, there’s no reason to repeal the moratorium on industrial acid mining. Current law states that this type of mining is allowable. Mining companies, however, have to prove they can use industrial acid mining techniques without harming the environment. To date, no proof exists.

We want economic development. We want jobs. But we are unwilling to sacrifice the health of life-sustaining natural resources — earth, air and water. Without these, we cease to exist.

These bills would reverse a bipartisan ban on harmful mining practices without proven environmental protections passed when Gov. Scott Walker was in the state Assembly. They would reverse a vote the governor cast as an assemblyman to protect our state’s natural resources from industrial acid mining.

There are no proven technologies to ensure natural resources are protected from industrial acid mining pollution. Therefore, we remain opposed to the bills until there are.

Has mining technology advanced?

Some argue mining has advanced. Perhaps. But we know for certain the Flambeau Mine, which proponents of of these bills say is a successful mine, is responsible for Flambeau River tributaries currently being classified as impaired and toxic, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Another certainty is that if Wisconsin legislators lift the ban on harmful mining practices, more mines will open using a process known to produce acid as a byproduct of the mining process. To date, there are zero mines — none — that have used this process and successfully prevented environmental damage.

Think about your favorite Wisconsin vacation spot. Would you want your children swimming in acid lakes and rivers? Would you eat fish from polluted rivers?

As a Tribe, our environmental standards exceed federal and state standards for environmental protection. For hundreds of years, we have taken up the charge to protect and preserve the environment and life-sustaining natural resources. Our opposition to SB395 and  AB499 continues our commitment to environmental stewardship.

Other considerations

Acid mine drainage is a serious, long-term problem without an easy clean-up solution. There are Roman-era mines more than 1,500 years old still draining acid mining toxins. If it were that easy to clean up these mines, it seems someone would have cleaned them up by now.

John Torinus, a business leader in West Bend, recently wrote an insightful piece on economics and environment. “Somehow,” he wrote, “GOP legislators have bought the erroneous theory that the environment and economy are an either-or proposition. Nothing could be more wrong. Advances for the economy and the environment are complementary, not competing.”

Wisconsin’s North Woods depends on a $20 billion tourism industry. This recurring revenue is a major, sustainable economic engine. Tourism depends on the health of natural resources. By lifting the acid mining moratorium, those natural resources are threatened.

Opposition to acid mining bills

The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians makes decisions with seven generations in mind. We ask how our decisions today affect those who come after us hundreds of years from now. We consider it the Tribe’s responsibility to preserve and protect the earth, the air, and the water we all need to survive. It’s part of our culture. It’s part of our values.

Therefore, the Lac du Flambeau Tribe asks everyone across the State of Wisconsin who cares about balancing economic development with environmental protections to call or email their legislators today.

These bills have the backing of significant industry resources who stand to gain without concern for those who choose to live and visit the Wisconsin North Woods long after the mine gives up all its treasure.

Joseph Wildcat Sr. is president of the Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, whose reservation resides just west ofMinoqua in Vilas, Iron and Oneida counties.