Oneida County Seeks Input From Voters On Mining Referendum

Tribes Oppose Metallic Mining While Business Groups Seek Support For Referendum

Oneida County is asking people to vote on whether they support or oppose mining a zinc sulfide ore deposit in a referendum Tuesday. State lawmakers lifted a decades-old moratorium on sulfide mining last year.

The Lynne Deposit in Oneida County contains around 5.6 million tons of zinc sulfide ore, lead and silver that could be extracted through an open-pit mine, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The county is asking voters in an advisory referendum whether it should allow leasing of county-owned lands in the Town of Lynne for a metallic mine.

REULTS:

• Should Oneida County allow mining on public forest land in the Town of Lynne (advisory).

Yes  7,129

No  11,927