Contact:
Raj Shukla
rshukla@wisconsinrivers.org
(608) 257-2424 x115
River Alliance of Wisconsin conducted a poll (MoE +/- 3.6) of 739 Wisconsin voters from August 4-6, 2017, to gauge public opinion on elements on both Foxconn and then-anticipated mining legislation. Previously released results showed wide distrust of industry claims on Foxconn. Newly-released results show that voters want to guard our waters from mining industry executives.
• 72% of voters want to keep “Prove it First” protections from mining pollution
• 50% do not believe “streamlined or eliminated environmental regulations will create more
mining jobs and help the Wisconsin economy.” Less than a third of voters (32%) agree
• 64% believe weakened water protections pose too much risk of exposing families to chemical
byproducts of sulfide mining, like cyanide and sulfuric acid
Senator Tom Tiffany says his newly released mining legislation is about “the dirt of America’s future.” (Wisconsin State Journal, August 18, 2017) We aren’t sure what that means. But we suspect he did not speak to voters while he and industry lobbyists crafted a bill that risks the health of Wisconsin waters. Mining companies got a lot more leeway to pollute while they profit from our natural resources. The bill:
• Eliminates “Prove It First” sulfide mining law, created with bipartisan support decades ago
• Limits public oversight and corporate accountability over use of public resources
• Green-lights risky mines
River Alliance of Wisconsin Executive Director Raj Shukla said, “Mining lobbyists and out-of-touch politicians appear to be the only people in favor of ditching protections that have kept our waters safe for decades. This bill threatens local real estate, restaurants and taverns, recreational tourism, and agriculture so that foreign-owned mining companies can profit. It’s not smart, it’s not wanted and it’s dangerous. The legislature should bury this mining bill.”
