WisconsinEye’s Steve Walters sat down with Ann Coakley and Larry Lynch of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to get an update on the application for the Gogebic Taconite mine proposal in Ashland and Iron counties. In the interview, Coakley and Lynch discuss the boring of test holes and the bulk sampling plan […]
Legislature Debating Nonmetallic Mining Law
Date Sun, Nov. 10, 2013 - 8:06pm By Hamilton
Iron ore mining features heavily in Wisconsin’s history, but that is not the only type of mining the state is known for. Wisconsin has long been considered one of the nation’s best sources of industrial sand and stone. While many quarries have dotted the landscape for past 100 years, the sand mining boom in Western […]
DNR Releases Report on Water Use in Wisconsin
Date Thu, Oct. 24, 2013 - 8:59pm By Hamilton
As part of Wisconsin’s participation in the Great Lakes Compact, water users capable of withdrawing 100,000 gallons per day are required to report their water usage for the previous year to the DNR by March 1 of each year. The DNR has released its summary of these reports for the 2012 calendar year. According to […]
SCOTUS Takes Up Major Greenhouse Gas Case
Date Thu, Oct. 24, 2013 - 8:56pm By Hamilton
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an important case challenging the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from new and modified major stationary sources under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Background In April 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. 497 (2007), that greenhouse gases (GHG), including […]
Legislature Plans Busy Fall Session
Date Wed, Sep. 18, 2013 - 8:32am By Hamilton
After spending summer away from the state house, legislators are back in Madison for the fall floor period. The Senate was back in session on September 17th, and the Assembly will be back in October. Both houses have ambitious plans for passing legislation now that the state budget is no longer dominating the legislature’s attention. […]
Hearing Gathers Public Input on Bulk Sampling at Proposed Mine
Date Thu, Aug. 22, 2013 - 9:40am By Hamilton
The Department of Natural Resources held a public informational hearing August 15, 2013 on the proposed bulk sampling activity and the pre-application notice to mine at Gogebic Taconite’s potential mining project near Mellen, Wisconsin. During the public informational hearing, individuals provided oral or written comments and learned about the proposed bulk sampling activity and the […]
Court Decides Important Mining Case
Date Thu, Aug. 22, 2013 - 7:40am By Hamilton
Right on the heels of the Great Lake Legal Foundation’s success in the Wisconsin’s Supreme Court’s Lake Koshkonong case comes another decisive win for the Foundation’s legal efforts. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit has agreed with the position advocated by the Foundation in its Wisconsin Resources Protection Council v. Flambeau Mining […]
Mining Hearing Scheduled for Aug. 15
Date Wed, Aug. 7, 2013 - 9:37am By Hamilton
The DNR has scheduled a public informational hearing on Gogebic Taconite’s proposed bulk sampling activity and the preapplication notice to mine for August 15 from 10am-8pm at Hurley High School, 5503 W. Range View Drive. The hearing will be a public informational hearing, where individuals can provide oral or written comments as well as learn […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Limits DNR’s Regulatory Authority under the Public Trust Doctrine
Date Tue, Aug. 6, 2013 - 5:54pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Supreme Court recently issued a decision limiting the Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) regulatory authority under the public trust doctrine. The case is Rock-Koshkonong Lake District v. DNR, 2013 WI 74. The Supreme Court held that the DNR improperly relied upon the public trust doctrine for its authority to regulate non-navigable land or […]
Pres. Obama Unveils Climate Change Plan
Date Wed, Jul. 3, 2013 - 4:42pm By Hamilton
Pres. Obama has laid out a sweeping new climate change plan. The plan, which would cut carbon emissions in the United States and encourage other countries to do so as well, bypasses Congress, opting to achieve the president’s policy goals via executive action. Video of Pres. Obama’s remarks on his plan. Click here for the […]