Wisconsin Rep Evan Goyke says proposed Gogebic mine would be larger than his Assembly district (True

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http://www.politifact.com/wisconsin/statements/2013/mar/22/evan-goyke/wisconsin-rep-evan-goyke-says-proposed-gogebic-min/

Evan Goyke: "The hole in the earth that’s going to be dug (for the proposed Gogebic mine) is bigger than my entire district."
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The size of the proposed Gogebic iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin dominated debate as a bill to relax state mining laws made it through the Legislature and to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk.

Supporters said the new law would maintain the state’s environmental standards while making it easier for the company to open a mine and create thousands of jobs. Opponents argued lawmakers were moving too quickly for a project of its size.

During the March 7, 2013 Assembly debate, state Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) noted the vastness of the proposed mine and tried to put it into context.

"The hole in the earth that’s going to be dug is bigger than my entire district," Goyke declared.

That raised some eyebrows in Madison … and sent us to the plat books and the calculator.

How big is this proposed mine? And how big is Goyke’s district?

The project is proposed by Gogebic Taconite, a division of Florida-based Cline Resource and Development. The company first proposed the iron ore mine in Ashland and Iron counties in 2011.

A bill sought by the company to modify state laws to make mine development easier died in 2012. A similar measure was approved in 2013 and signed by Gov. Scott Walker on March 11, 2013. The new law "relaxes environmental protections for iron mining -- but not other forms of mining -- and provides more clarity to the state process of reviewing an iron ore mine application," according to the Journal Sentinel’s report on the bill signing.

[Scuba]

1. Here's a good graphic to help understand the size of the mine...