Scott Walker Signs Bill Lifting Mining Ban That He Voted For

RHINELANDER, WI — Nearly 20 years ago, then-Wisconsin Assembly member Scott Walker voted to ban silver and gold mining in the state. Both Democrats and Republicans implemented the ban out of concerns that sulfide mining would pollute waterways.

Gold, copper, zinc, nickel and other metals are usually found bonded to sulfur. Such compounds produce sulfuric acid when exposed to oxygen and water, creating the risk of runoff polluting streams and rivers.

But Walker, now governor, has apparently had change of heart. His spokesman, Tom Evenson, has said in recent weeks that Walker thinks mining can be done without damaging the environment. He hasn't offered anything more to explain the governor's reversal.

And on Monday, Walker signed the GOP-authored bill lifting the mining moratorium during a mid-day stop at the Oneida County Airport in Rhinelander.

"If there's anywhere in the world that should be able to conduct safe and environmentally sound mining, it should be the Badger State. #WIWorking," Walker tweeted Monday.

He followed up with a news release in which he called mining a piece of Wisconsin history and cultural identity.

"With this new bill, we're paying tribute to our state's rich roots in the field and creating new family-supporting careers in the mining industry, all while protecting our abundant and valuable natural resources," Walker said.

While supporters say lifting the ban will re-energize mining in northern Wisconsin and boost the region's economy, opponents say it will open the door to devastating pollution.

Sulfuric acid is a corrosive chemical that readily mixes with water and can kill fish, plants and insects as well as burn human skin, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Acidic waters also can release heavy metals such as arsenic and mercury when they pass through waste mining rock and mining tailings, according to the federation.

The 1998 law requires sulfide mining applicants to prove a similar mine has operated for 10 years somewhere in North America without causing pollution. It also requires applicants to prove a similar mine has been closed in North America for a decade without causing pollution.

No other state has such requirements. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has never issued a final determination that any mining applicant has satisfied the standards.

The bill eliminates those requirements as well as eases sulfide mining regulations. Large-scale sampling operations will no longer need to obtain environmental impact statements. Administrative law judges wouldn't be able to block any DNR decisions on mining applications, forcing challengers into circuit court.

Mining applicants also will no longer have to establish perpetual trust funds to cover environmental damage, although they would be financially responsible for any environmental damage within 40 years of the mine's closure and would have to maintain the mine's water management systems for 250 years.

The bill marks the second significant piece of legislation designed to jump-start the mining industry in northern Wisconsin that Walker will have signed since taking office in 2011. The other bill dramatically loosened Wisconsin's iron mining regulations. The measure was designed to clear the way for Gogebic Taconite to dig a massive open-pit mine near Lake Superior. The company promised the mine would create hundreds of jobs but ultimately gave up on the project.

Most bills take effect within days of the governor signing them, but Republican Rep. Jerry Petrowski amended the moratorium bill to delay its effective date for six months. Petrowski said he wanted to give local governments time to develop their own mining ordinances, saying in a letter to the Wisconsin counties and towns associations that sulfide mining carries "inherent risks."

By TODD RICHMOND, Associated Press

Photo credit: Andy Manis/Associated Press