OPINION: It`s time to end the mining moratorium in Wisconsin

A public hearing was held in Ladysmith recently to hear testimony on the “Mining for America” legislation we introduced several weeks ago. Ladysmith was home to the Flambeau mine — the only example of a metallic mine that was successfully permitted, constructed, operated and reclaimed under the state’s existing regulatory framework. We thought it was important to hear from residents from northern Wisconsin who live, work and raise families in the area surrounding the mine.

The crux of the Mining for America legislation is to end the mining moratorium currently preventing mining companies from even considering Wisconsin. Wisconsin is the only state in the nation with a moratorium in place. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has been consistent since the moratorium was introduced in the late 1990s in saying that the moratorium brings no value to the permitting process or protecting the environment...

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Ken Notes: With a politically weakened DNR now is NOT the time to lift the moratorium. If Sen. Thomas Tiffany want to move forward, he need to prove that the DNR can and will regulate the industry. He seems to want it both ways....