Gov. Scott Walker said Friday he plans to sign the controversial mining bill into law Monday, but state organizations have threatened to make good on promises to challenge the bill in court if it becomes a law.
The governor will officially sign the bill, which is designed to streamline the state’s mine permitting process, at 1 p.m. in Rhinelander, followed by a ceremonial signing in Milwaukee at 3:30 p.m., according to a statement Friday from Walker.
Walker also released a separate statement Friday applauding the bill, after the state Assembly passed it in a 58 to 39 vote on party lines Thursday.
“On behalf of the unemployed skilled workers in our state who will benefit from the thousands of mining-related jobs over the next few years, I say thank you for passing a way to streamline the process for safe and environmentally sound mining in Wisconsin,” Walker said in the statement.
But state environmental organizations and the Bad River Band of Chippewa have continually threatened to take the bill to court when it is passed because they expect it to damage state waterways.
The main argument against the bill for anti-mine organizations relies on the Public Trust Doctrine, which says navigable state waterways are a public good and thus the state legislature is required to maintain their well being for public use, according to the Wisconsin Legislature website.
The Bad River Band has said they plan to sue over an infringement on their treaty rights because they expect mine waste to pollute the Bad River, which runs through their reservation.
