A recent University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee public opinion poll about Wisconsin’s economy released Thursday reported a slight majority of residents feel the potential environmental consequences of a proposed northern Wisconsin mine outweigh its economic benefit.
The survey, called the Wisconsin Economic Scorecard, is a quarterly poll that measures public perceptions of Wisconsin’s economic health and provides public opinion statistics regarding important economic issues facing the state, according to the WES report.
The proposed mining bill, which passed committees in the state Senate and Assembly and would ease the state’s permitting process for interested mining companies, remains contentious among state politicians. Republicans assure the bill would lead to a mine that would create 700-plus jobs in economically drab northern towns, while Democrats claim allowing a mine under the new bill would have too high an environmental cost.
Additionally, the survey reports 40 percent of Wisconsinites would prioritize education over Medicaid funding, which fell at 33 percent.
The WES survey also reported 61 percent of Wisconsinites feel the state is “headed in the right direction,” but only 27 percent claim the state’s economy is “good” and 1 percent report it as “excellent.”
