Nyob rau xyoo 2011 lig, Bill Williams tau sawv ntawm ib lub roob hauv Penokee Hills, saib xyuas nws lub tuam txhab qhov chaw thov rau $ 1.5 billion hlau ore mine. Ib tug neeg sau xov xwm nug nws txog cov teeb meem ib puag ncig los ntawm qhov project.
Williams, tus thawj tswj hwm ntawm Gogebic Taconite, tawm tsam qhov kev txhawj xeeb tam sim ntawd. Yog tias muaj teeb meem tshwm sim, nws hais rau tus neeg sau xov xwm, "peb yuav tsum ua kom peb txoj kev tawm ntawm nws."
Thaum lub Ob Hlis lig, Williams tau tshaj tawm tias nws lub tuam txhab tau tso tseg cov phiaj xwm rau sab qaum teb Wisconsin kuv li tam sim no, hais tias kev sib tw ib puag ncig tau ua pov thawj zoo heev. Qhov ntawd rub tus niam ntawm txhua tus "Kuv hais rau koj sos" los ntawm Bob Jauch, tus qub Democratic xeev senator uas nws cheeb tsam suav nrog kuv qhov chaw.
"Kuv ib txwm muaj kev xav tias lub tuam txhab no tsis tau npaj rau qhov project no," Jauch hais. Nws hais tias nws tau tsom mus rau txoj kev nom kev tswv ntau dua li cov teeb meem tshwm sim los ntawm kuv tus kheej. Thiab nws rips Gov. Scott Walker thiab GOP cov neeg tsim cai lij choj rau qhov "ua rau (lub tuam txhab) tsis mloog lus" kom dhau daim nqi mining uas ua rau lub xeev tsis muaj zog tiv thaiv ib puag ncig.
Jauch hais tias kev sib ntaus sib tua kev nom kev tswv dhau ntawm daim nqi mining "tua lub zej zog sib cais. Nws pitted neeg zej zog piv rau cov neeg zej zog. Nws rhuav tshem kev sib raug zoo. Thiab rau dab tsi? Txhua yam los mus rau qhov xaus tias qhov no tsis muaj peev xwm ua tau nyob rau thawj qhov chaw. "
Tracy Hames, tus thawj coj ntawm lub tuam txhab Wisconsin Wetlands Association, hais tias nws tau pom meej meej tias tus naj npawb thiab qhov zoo ntawm cov av ntub dej ntawm qhov kev thov kuv qhov chaw yuav zoo li tsis yooj yim sua kom txo tau, raws li qhov yuav tsum tau ua raws li lub xeev thiab tsoomfwv txoj cai lij choj. "Qhov no yog qhov chaw tshwj xeeb tsis txaus ntseeg."
George Meyer, yav tas los tus tuav ntaub ntawv ntawm lub xeev Department of Natural Resources, pom zoo cov nyom nyom thiab muaj teeb meem vim Native American treaty txoj cai yuav doomed qhov project txij thaum pib. Meyer tam sim no taub hau Wisconsin Koom Haum Tsiaj Qub, uas tsis tawm tsam kuv tab sis tawm tsam cov kev hloov pauv rau txoj cai mining.
Thaum Lub Peb Hlis 2012, Pawg Neeg Saib Xyuas Kev Cai Lij Choj tau siv zog los kho txoj cai no ua tsis tiav thaum ntawd-Sen. Dale Schultz, R-Richland Center, tsis kam mus nrog. Nyob rau hauv lub caij nplooj zeeg kev xaiv tsa, Republicans tau nce lawv txoj kev tswj hwm ntawm lub xeev Senate rau 18-15, txaus los kov yeej Schultz qhov kev tawm tsam. Daim nqi dhau nyob rau lub 3 Hlis 2013.
Txoj kev sib tw tsis yog Wisconsin Democracy Campaign siab ntau tshaj $ 15 lab nyiaj pub dawb rau lub xeev cov phiaj xwm kev nom kev tswv los ntawm cov tub rog mining ntawm xyoo 2010 thiab nruab nrab xyoo 2012. Cov pab pawg ntawm ob tog tau siv sijhawm ntau dua 14,000 teev los saib xyuas cov nqi mining ntawm xyoo 2011 thiab 2014. Thiab Gogebic Taconite ua funnel $700,000 rau Wisconsin Club rau Kev Loj Hlob, uas tau pab Walker thiab lwm tus Republicans hauv xyoo 2011 thiab 2012 rov qab xaiv tsa.
Walker's 2013 Lub Xeev Lub Xeev hais lus featured Cov neeg ua haujlwm tawm ntawm cov neeg ua haujlwm mining hauv cov kaus mom tawv uas sawv cev rau qee qhov ntawm ntau txhiab txoj haujlwm nws tau hais tias kuv yuav coj. Tam sim no cov lus cog tseg ntawm cov haujlwm ntawd tau evaporated, thiab lub xeev tseem tshuav nrog kev tiv thaiv tsis muaj zog.
Meyer hais tias "Kuv xav tias qhov kev ntseeg siab ntawm Pawg Neeg Saib Xyuas tau ua rau muaj kev cuam tshuam loj, ib yam li tus tswv xeev," Meyer hais.
Williams hais rau Milwaukee Journal Sentinel hais tias thaum nws lub tuam txhab muaj kev sib raug zoo nrog cov tswj hwm raws li Walker, "tej zaum tseem muaj ib qho subculture ntawm DNR, rau qhov tsis muaj lus zoo dua, uas yog ntsuab." Nws thiab Walker kuj tau liam tias tsoom fwv teb chaws cov kev xav kom txo cov av ntub dej; tab sis cov no nyob rau hauv qhov chaw ua ntej, thaum ob leeg tau aglow nrog optimism txog kuv.
Gogebic Taconite hais tias nws yuav txuas ntxiv mus saib rau qhov ua tau ntawm kuv. Thiab thaum txo tus nqi rau cov hlau ore ua rau qhov tsis zoo nyob rau yav tom ntej, Ashland County Board tus tswv cuab Charles Ortman hais rau Lub Ashland Txhua Hnub Xovxwm qhov kev cia siab no yog "tsis tau mus rau qhov zoo, tsis yog txog thaum pawg ore yuav ploj mus." Nws txhawj xeeb tias tam sim no yuav muaj kev thawb los txo tsoomfwv cov cai.
Nws hais tias, "Kuv tsis yog tus kws tshawb fawb txog kev koom ua ke," tab sis peb tau pom qhov tshwm sim ntawm no, thiab tib tus txiv neej uas tau ua qhov ntawd tam sim no tab tom ua tus thawj tswj hwm.
Bill Lueders yog tus thawj coj ntawm Money and Politics Project ntawm Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism (www.wisconsinwatch.org). Lub Center tsim qhov project hauv kev koom tes nrog MapLight. Lub Chaw koom tes nrog Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public TV, lwm yam xov xwm tshaj tawm thiab UW-Madison Tsev Kawm Ntawv ntawm Kev Sau Xov Xwm thiab Kev Sib Txuas Lus. Txhua yam haujlwm tsim, luam tawm, tshaj tawm lossis tshaj tawm los ntawm Lub Chaw tsis tas yuav cuam tshuam txog kev xav lossis kev xav ntawm UW-Madison lossis ib qho ntawm nws cov koom tes.
Rov luam tawm peb cov ntawv dawb, hauv online lossis luam tawm, raws li daim ntawv tso cai Creative Commons.
Txoj kev mus rau ntuj txiag teb tsaus yog paved nrog cov tuam txhab mining cog lus. Good riddance, GTac.
Tib cov neeg laus tab tom nrhiav nyiaj sai sai uas xav kom cov neeg them se them rau kev ntxuav tom qab lawv tau txais lawv cov nyiaj tau los. Strip mines zoo nkauj heev nyob Duluth Mn. Qee lub sij hawm muaj hlau deposits ze kub. Nws attracts ntau tus diggers kub yuav peb hais.
Saib txhua tus, nws tsis yog "kev poob qis ntawm cov nqi hlau hlau" nws yog kev sib tw, kev sib tsoo, kev rhuav tshem ntawm cov nqi hlau hlau. Lub cev qhuav dej ntawm cov nqi hlau los ntawm 2012 txog lig 2014 yog, ntawm feem pua, yuav luag 30% ntau dua li cov nqi roj poob. Yog tias cov nqi roj tau poob ntau npaum li cov nqi hlau ore muaj los ntawm lawv cov qib qub, West Texas Intermediate yuav mus rau $ 32.00 ib chim. Thiab, nyob rau lub Cuaj Hli Ntuj xyoo no, Roy Hill Mine hauv Australia, uas kim tshaj plaws hlau mine puas tau tsim, nrog ib tug ib tuj ore nqi tawg txawm tias tsuas yog $42.00/ton (tam sim no $60.00/ton) tab tom los ntawm kab ntxiv 15. % rau lub ntiaj teb cov hlau ore ntau lawm muaj peev xwm. Tam sim no Tuam Tshoj tab tom kaw cov mines hlau sai li sai tau, thiab saib seb lawv them nyiaj li cas! Yuav tsis muaj ib qho kev lag luam shovelful ntawm hlau lifted nyob rau sab qaum teb Wisconsin nyob rau hauv peb lub neej, los yog peb cov me nyuam lub neej, tej zaum txawm peb cov xeeb ntxwv lub neej.