Thompson Sells Out Wisconsin's Resources to Mining Interests, cont.

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A research report that attempts to document the abuses of power for a process that has grown for over a quarter of a century must, of necessity, rely on a wide variety of primary and secondary sources.

Data relating to campaign contributions were gathered from the Wisconsin Cooperative Finance Database, a joint project of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Wisconsin Citizen Action. Since an ever-increasing portion of the money going into the active political campaigns is "soft" money for "issue ads" from corporate sources and groups such as Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, we had no means to approach the true total figures for money influencing our government's decisions.

There is insufficient room in this report to even scratch the surface of the gross irregularities that occurred during the early years of mineral exploration, law making and the permitting process for the Flambeau Mine.  We encourage interested parties to read A Question of Bias (available on the internet at the Wisconsin Stewardship Network's web site, http://www.wsn.org on the mining issues page) and The New Resource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles Against Multinational Corporations by Al Gedicks.

Although the influence of mining capital on Wisconsin's democratic processes goes back far longer than a dozen years, the major focus of this report is the corrupting influence of the industry since Thompson  became Governor.  The policy issues discussed in this document are not simply documentation of corrupt political processes or records of local historical interest, but represent real and critical concerns to present and future decisions that will determine the economic, political, and environmental nature of Wisconsin from this date forward.

We have not tried to footnote every legal reference or administrative action by the DNR --- this is part of the public record. We have tried, however, to provide sources for any direct quotes or information from letters or internal communications not readily available.  Sources of fairly obscure, controversial or late-breaking factual information, of which the average reader who has been following the mining issue may not be familiar, have also been cited.

Much of the research which helped form this report is second hand.  Many individuals and groups over the years have documented and compiled much of the data presented here.

Particular appreciation should be extended to those who did much of the research and analysis of the historical record including Roscoe and Evelyn Churchill, Al Gedicks, the folks at ECCOLA who researched "A Question of Bias," Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin, Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impact Office,  Midwest Office of the Sierra Club, Midwest Treaty Network and all the dedicated journalists who have consistently tracked these issues and exposed the hype behind the "good talk" coming from Madison.

The greatest gratitude should go to the hundreds of dedicated conservation and environmental organizations and the hundreds of thousands of individuals they represent who have kept this issue alive for over a quarter century. These diverse groups have now joined together with one voice to demand an end to the corrupt political influence and a return to independent oversight and protection of our invaluable natural resources.

And finally, we would like to thank those employees of the DNR who, despite being overworked, frustrated with an inefficient bureaucratic structure, and burdened with fear of political repercussions for honest work, have not lost sight of the real prize; the knowledge that their often thankless vigilance is preserving the wonderful environment we call Wisconsin for us and the generations who will follow us.
References
 

1.  "A Case study of Environmental Impact-Flambeau Project," May, Edward and Shilling, Robert. Mining Congress Journal, May 1977.
2.  Wisconsin's Decision for Eternity, A closer Look at the Proposed Crandon Mine, The Menominee Treaty Rights & Mining Impact Office, 1998 and elsewhere.
3.  Capitol Times, February 18, 1998.
4.  George Buchen, Badger State Miner, Wisconsin Mining Association newsletter, October/November 1995.
5.  Letters from George Meyer October  24,1995 and Tommy Thompson November  6, 1995 to James Doyle.
6.  "Thompson, Tribes may be near deal" Cary  Spivak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, February  4, 1998.
7.  "Water Worries - Crandon Mine Debate Goes Underground" by Anita Weier , The Capital Times, October 24-25, 1998
8.  Numerous references on Midwest Treaty Network homepage: http://www.alphacdc.com/treaty.
9.  "Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)", Wis. DNR Dec. 1996.
10.  Letter from Dept. of Financial Institutions, Div. of Corporate and Consumer Services. Sept. 23, 1998.
11.  "NRB approves DNR mining rule revisions,"  Bob Kliebenstein, The Country Today,  Dec. 10, 1997.
12.  "Risks Posed by Bevill Wastes, US EPA 1997.
13.  "Water Worries - Crandon Mine Debate Goes Underground" by Anita Weier The Capital Times October 24-25, 1998
14.  "Mine Issue Fumbled," Dave Zweifel, The Country Today, Oct. 29, 1997.
15.  "Anti-mining bill opposed in DNR," Don Behm. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Oct. 12, 1997.
16.  "Senate closes mining Loophole,"  Richard P. Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Feb. 4, 1997.
17.  "Mining Bill Gets Twisted by Assembly" Stan Milam, Eau Claire Leader Telegram, Jan. 26, 1998.
18.  Letter to Mining Moratorium Coalition Members from George Meyer October 2, 1998 and comments by Stan Druckenmiller on Wisconsin Public Radio. July 1998.
19. "Water Worries - Crandon Mine Debate Goes Underground" by Anita Weier The Capital Times October 24-25 1998
20.  Memo from DNR staff  March 30, 1998.
17  "DNR on the Run," Will Fantle, Isthmus,  Sept. 18, 1998.
22.  Stuart McDougall, "Rio Algom forges ahead in copper quest" Northern Miner June 29, 1998.
23.  Letter to Don Cumming from William Tans, June 30, 1998.
24.  Tommy Thompson in televised gubernatorial debate with Ed Garvey, October 16, 1998.
25. "Water Worries - Crandon Mine Debate Goes Underground" by Anita Weier The Capital Times. October 24-25 1998
26.  Comment by Flambeau Mining's General Manager Tom Myatt, Adams Town Hall February 11, 1997.
27.  Coping with Disaster: Protecting Wisconsin';s Families and Environment from Mining Pollution Now and in the Future, The Sierra Club and Mining Impact Coalition September 1998.
28.  Phone conversation and subsequent mail communications with Larry Lynch, Kevin Kessler and Chuck Hammer, Friday May 21.
29.  Minutes of special legislative committee on metallic mining taxation, December, 1974 through January 1976.
30.  "See When Mines Enter Minds" by Tim Tynan and "The Truth Behind the "Economic Miracle" both available on the Wisconsin Stewardship web page: http/www.wsn.org, in the mining issues page.
31.  "Misconceptions about Mining in Wisconsin,"  Wis. DNR, Jan. and Feb. 1998.
32.   Memo from DNR staff  March 30, 1998.
33.  "Misinformation: What is the truth about sulfide mining?" 66 info. messages from Headwaters Group of Northern Thunder, 1998.
34.  Letter from George Meyer to Tom Wilson sent on April 20, 1998 .
35.  "Rio Algom to spend millions on Quebec mine cleanup," The Associated Press, Milwaukee Journal, August 17, 1998.
36.  Tommy Thompson in televised gubernatorial debate with Ed Garvey, October 16, 1998.
37.  "Wisconsin's Mining Laws: How Tough They Aren't,"  M.J. Kewler.  City Pages, Wausau, WI  June 7-13, 1997.
38.  "Golden Dreams, Poisoned Streams," Mineral Policy Center, Washington, DC, 1988.
39.  "The New Resource Wars: Native and Environmental Struggles Against Multinational Corporations" by Al Gedicks, Boston, 1993
40.  "The Power and the Promise, the Elliot Lake Story," by Catharine Dixon, Elliot Lake, Ontario 1996.
41.  "Plunder"  by Roger Moody, People Against RTZ and its Subsidiaries, London 1991.
 

The following sections of this report discuss key details:

  Report Overview and Introduction
  The Timeline and Issues
  More Mining Issues
  The Mining Money Trail
  Conclusion and Recommendations