For immediate release: October 26, 2011
Contact: Anne Sayers, Program Director,
608-208-1129, 608-658-0186 (cell),
anne@conservationvoters.org
Urging Legislators to Also Reject this Back-Door Mining Bill
Madison – Today, citizens from across the state will testify before the Joint Natural Resource Committees in opposition to The Polluters Over People Bill (SS AB/SB 24). The bill constitutes a sweeping rollback of conservation protections that have been on the books for decades. The Polluters Over People Bill:
Rewards bad actors and polluting special interests;
Cuts the public out of decisions that impact their waterways;
Guts Wisconsin’s water quality protections;
Threatens water quantity in Wisconsin’s lakes, streams, and wells;
Undermines Wisconsin’s clean air protections;
Serves as a backdoor attempt to weaken Wisconsin’s mining laws.
On the final point, Wisconsin residents are clear. “No matter what you call this legislation, in northern Wisconsin we know that this is a mining bill. This legislation will decrease the amount of public input and exempt taconite pellet processing plants from air quality standards – these plants are already the largest source of mercury in Lake Superior,” said Mary Rehwald, an Ashland resident who is represented by Senator Bob Jauch and Representative Janet Bewley.
Citizens testifying at today’s hearing want legislators to understand the immense costs associated with this bill.
“Legislators shouldn’t be stealing from Peter to pay Paul, by selling out families, communities and the environment with this bill,” explained Judy Treml, a Green Bay resident who is represented by Senator Rob Cowles and Representative Jim Steineke.
Citizens are also taking note of where their own legislators stand on this bill. “I have been proud to support Neal Kedzie as my State Senator. He has been an advocate for our natural resources – from groundwater protection to The Strong Great Lakes Compact. However, his early support of this bill is troubling. Our district consists of beautiful lake country, the Mukwonago River, native prairies and oak savannas. This bill reduces local control, limits public input and reverses protections that the Senator once advocated for,” said Barbara Holtz, a Town of Mukwonago resident who is represented by Senator Neal Kedzie and Representative Chris Kapenga.
“Clearly, Governor Walker crafted this legislation to reward his well-funded supporters. Now he’s asking members of his own party to risk everything by towing his line once more and voting for a bill that has proven wildly unpopular with Wisconsin voters,” said Anne Sayers, Program Director of Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters.
For more information, please visit the dedicated mining page of our website and/or this analysis of The Polluters Over People Bill.
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