Wisconsin officials consider local regulations to protect water from return of acid-mining

[TexasTowelie]

Wisconsin officials consider local regulations to protect water from Republican-backed return of acid-mining

Local governments are looking to enact their own mining regulations as Gov. Scott Walker prepares to lift Wisconsin's nearly 20-year ban on gold and silver mining, saying they want to protect the environment and make sure taxpayers don't have to clean up any potential damage.

Walker voted for the mining moratorium when he was in the state Assembly in 1998 but is expected to sign a new Republican-backed bill that would lift the prohibition and relax other mining regulations.

The measure comes as Aquila Resources Inc. is considering mining ore deposits in Taylor and Marathon counties. The company has been eyeing the deposits since 2011 but hasn't filed any formal permit applications. It didn't respond to messages seeking comment.

The Menominee Nation and the environmental law firm Earthjustice are suing to block a proposed Aquila zinc and gold mine in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, but in Wisconsin, no organized opposition has coalesced yet around the state's potential sites. Still, environmentalists and local government officials anticipate that lifting the moratorium could spur Aquila into action. In the absence of a state moratorium, counties like Marathon have begun considering drafting their own mining ordinances.

Read more: http://www.wisconsingazette.com/news/wisconsin-officials-consider-local-regulations-to-protect-water-from-republican/article_eb570048-ccc8-11e7-9a6e-df839919c379.html