Senator Grifter Fitzgerald has suddenly and preemptively decided to disband the bipartisan Senate Committee on Mining in favor of producing high-speed corporate-authored mining legislation that will (surprise!) favor mining interests at the expense of (surprise!) the environment and the northern communities near the proposed mine, not least of which is the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Ojibwe.
The State Senate is proving themselves as diabolical as the State Assembly on the mining issue; they've crafted their own version of subversive politics aimed at promoting corporations before people, profit before environmental protections and get 'er done legislation with no time for public opinion. Can you hear the jobs, jobs, jobs mantra ringing through?
Deliberate deceitful destruction of the democratic process. Read on to see what Democratic Senator Bob Jauch has to say.
Late this afternoon, in a shocking move, Senator Fitzgerald abruptly announced that he was disbanding the Senate Committee on Mining. Almost simultaneously Senator Galloway introduced a Senate bill identical to AB 426. That bill was then immediately forwarded to the Joint Committee on Finance.
In an equally shocking manner the Finance Co-Chairs scheduled a hearing on the bill for this Friday beginning at 10:00. It is a complete insult to the citizens of Wisconsin, particularly the citizens in northern Wisconsin most directly affected by the mining bill that the public would only be given 36 hours to plan to attend the hearing.
Immediately following the announcement I issued the following statement.
“I’m shocked and disgusted with the callous elimination of a mining committee that was taking the time to create a transparent process and openly deliberate changes to Wisconsin’s mining law.
Senator Fitzgerald’s decision to abruptly disband this committee is a clear sign that he was afraid that this group of legislators would put together a reasonable alternative to the irresponsible bill put forward by his brother. His action is nothing short of a declaration of war on responsible government.
For almost a year I have been working toward responsible legislation that would establish a mining regulatory process that is fair and flexible for every applicant but protects the public interest. I have offered constructive suggestions to streamline the bureaucratic process while avoiding weakening of the environmental standards. I have been willing to seek compromise to achieve a responsible bill. After all, if one supports responsible mining they ought to support a responsible mining law.
It is sadly apparent that Senator Fitzgerald doesn’t believe in open government as his decision to disband the committee will disenfranchise the hundreds of citizens who are eager to testify at the Platteville and Ashland hearings.
Senator Fitzgerald created the mining committee to consider responsible legislation. His reliance of a nuclear option to destroy this committee just might eliminate the chance for any mining bill to pass the Senate.”
The decision to ram the bill through the legislature is a well conceived plan supported by special interest groups to once again seize control of the Government because they didn’t like the fact that some legislators were considering a reasonable alternative. It isn’t an accident that shortly after Senator Fitzgerald’s announcement that a political action committee called “Wisconsin Club for Growth” began making robo-calls into my Senate district to proclaim that “I was against the mining bill” and people should contact my office.
As you are aware, my position has always been clear. I have been working for a bi-partisan responsible bill that creates a fair and flexible process that protects northern Wisconsin taxpayers, preserves environmental standards and reflects the will of the public. However, I sure as heck am not going to easily allow these special interest groups to buy our government and run roughshod over the citizens of our State.
During a recent public hearing in Hurley, a majority of citizens, many of whom support mining, opposed the Assembly bill and sought changes in order to create a meaningful bill. Senator Kedzie and members of the Senate mining committee were moving in the right direction to make those kinds of recommendations.
I don’t know what the outcome is going to be. All I know is that Wisconsin citizens will be appalled regarding these recent events who expect their public officials to practice a higher standard.
My hope is that there are a few Republican State Senators who care enough about the Legislative institution to resist this assault on the democratic process and will do what is necessary to develop a responsible, bipartisan, mining regulatory bill.
We simply cannot allow the special interests to run roughshod over the public process.
I will keep you informed on these fast moving events.
Bob Jauch
State Senator