Democratic state legislators have continued to lobby top Republican legislators for increased public transparency while passing the controversial mining bill, particularly through a proposed hearing to be held in northern Wisconsin.
State Sen. John Lehman, D-Racine, and state Rep. Fred Clark, D-Baraboo, sent a letter to leaders on the Republican bill state Sen. Tom Tiffany, R-Hazelhurst, and state Rep. Mary Williams, R-Medford, in which the Democrats called for public answers from the legislators about how their bill could affect the northern environment while making it easier for mining companies to get permitted in the state.
The new bill is a revised version of a bill that failed last session when Democratic senators, joined by Dale Shultz, R-Richland Center, voted the bill down because of environmental concerns.
Two other Democratic legislators, state Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, and state Rep. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, both from northern Wisconsin, announced they will hold their own listening session for the bill Feb. 9 to let citizens speak for or against the bill.
However, Lehman and Clark said they hoped to see an official hearing scheduled in northern Wisconsin to allow concerned citizens who did not get to speak at last week’s hearing in Madison to voice their opinions.
“A good process will … fully vet ideas from other experts and members of the public, particularly those most dramatically impacted by a potential mine,” Lehman and Clark said in their letter.
While Tiffany and Williams have not confirmed plans for another hearing, Republicans maintain they are committed to an open and transparent process.
