Last week, the Wisconsin state Senate failed to pass an important piece of legislation for workers. This legislation proposed a $1.5 billion iron ore mine to be built in the northern part of the state that died because Republicans failed to gather a final vote despite holding a 17-16 majority.
The response from Gogebic Taconite, the company that proposed the mine, was more interesting. The company announced hours after the legislation’s failure that it was leaving Wisconsin altogether.
While I usually side with environmentalists, it is somewhat disheartening in this case for Wisconsin that Gogebic Taconite decided not to take Walker’s “open for business” slogan very seriously. While some argue that the proposed mine and mining in general may take an environmental toll upon the “pristine” parts of northern Wisconsin, I believe that the creation of up to 700 jobs for Wisconsin’s citizens is a high enough number that legislators should have reached a compromise rather than continuing off into partisan politics. Both Democrats and Republicans should have taken the necessary measures to reach a compromise on the legislation.
Let me repeat: The proposed mine could have created hundreds of jobs for Wisconsin workers. Gogebic Taconite is a company based in Hurley, Wis. but is owned by a Florida-based company with ties to coal in Illinois and the Appalachia region. Northern Wisconsin has taken a serious economic hit, and the loss of hundreds of new jobs from a trustworthy company is a blow to Wisconsin’s workforce.
After all, Bill Williams, president of Gogebic Taconite, noted that the company had already invested more than $3 million into the proposed mine. However, I will concede that advocates for the bill should have taken a step back to consider the legislation’s environmental ramifications.
The lone dissenting Republican, state Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, argued alongside Democrats that the bill did not address many of the concerns environmentalists and other environmental groups had with the piece of legislation. Concern over the mine’s potential to cause unhealthy drinking water in the Ashland and Iron county areas, where the mine would have been located, and other natural environmental concerns, had opponents of the bill unhappy at the legislation’s introduction. Members in the Senate against the bill felt Republicans offered little room for negotiation.
Yet the failure to pass the mining bill in the Senate and Gogebic Taconite’s decision to leave Wisconsin are only small parts of the problem. The real problem is this legislative proceeding shows once again the problems of partisan politics, be it at the local, state or national level.
It is disappointing when politicians, as in the case of the Gogebic Taconite mine, decide to put their political agendas and their party’s politics in front of what is right for Wisconsin workers. Apart from the environmental concerns, I cannot understand why Democrats and Schultz would actually oppose the mining bill legislation. It is this type of political discourse and partisan bickering that has, once again, gotten in the way of what Wisconsin and every other state needs: jobs and equal economic opportunities for its citizens.
However, Walker announced this past Monday night that he would be willing to call a special session to reconsider the bill. I can only hope that members of the Legislature will reconsider the bill, acknowledge it’s possible environmental factors and do whatever it takes to get Gogebic Taconite back and investing once again in Wisconsin’s future.
Ethan is a freshman with an undeclared major. Please send all feedback to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
