Wisconsin Assembly to Vote on Lifting Mining Ban

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Assembly is set to take up a Republican bill next week that would lift Wisconsin`s nearly 20-year ban on gold, silver and nickel mining.

Wisconsin lawmakers passed a bill in 1998 that requires sulfide mining applicants to prove a sulfide mine has operated in North American for 10 years without causing pollution and a similar mine has been closed for 10 years without causing pollution. Gov. Scott Walker voted for the measure as a member of the Assembly.

The bill`s chief sponsors, Rep. Rob Hutton and Sen. Tom Tiffany, say the measure will help jump-start northern Wisconsin`s economy.