Frederica Freyberg:

Governor Scott Walker has high praise for the budget bill and says he intends to sign it by July 1. A budget amendment related to the Gogebic iron mine was proposed and then yanked by assembly Republicans this week. The amendment would have prohibited public access to lands where mining explorations by Gogebic Taconite Mining Company are underway near Lake Superior. Again, that amendment was pulled. The motion was in response to protestors who allegedly raided and damaged company equipment at the site last week. Another group of protestors marched on the site last weekend. Focus on this topic sharpened this Wednesday. That’s when Gogebic Taconite filed an intent to mine with the state, something Wisconsin Public Radio’s Mike Simonson reports, is the first formal step toward an open pit mine in the Penoke hills. He joins us now from Superior and, Mike, thanks for doing that.

Mike Simonson:

Interesting times up here.

Frederica Freyberg:

Yeah. Well, filing this intent to mine at this time is kind of early in the process, I understand. Is that right?

Mike Simonson:

Well, it is. It’s necessary to file at least a year in advance of filing for a permit to mine. So in a way, it’s not a surprise, but it did take people up here by surprise.

Frederica Freyberg:

In fact, I read from your reporting that Senator Bob Jauch told you that the company filed early to avoid local or county level regulation. How would filing early accomplish that?

Mike Simonson:

I’m not sure, but I think the courts might have to make a decision on this one. What Senator Jauch was saying , and the Ashland county board chairman, Pete Russo, was saying is that this could grandfather in anything GTAC does, because ordinances passed by Ashland County, and probably next month by Iron County, would be after the fact. So both are saying that, hey, this is a way for GTAC to get away from accountability to local governments.

Frederica Freyberg:

In fact, one unit of local government, the Ashland County board, just voted yesterday on a measure related to the mine, kind of one day after that filing of the intent to mine. What was the Ashland County board vote about?

Mike Simonson:

It was about– it was about covering the costs of mining. Chairman Russo said, look, we can’t afford a mine if we don’t get reimbursed for things that are expenses caused by the mine, everything from legal to roads. So they need to– so they’re asking for $100,000 up front, a fee that will at least keep $50,000 in it so they can draw from that, and that way they can afford to keep up with all the mine activities. GTAC says that they’re going to take care of all the costs themselves, and roads and electrification, all of those infrastructure things. But Russo is saying, look, we need to be at the table to this, and without this zoning ordinance, we’re not going to be there. And Iron County is saying the same thing.

Frederica Freyberg:

And the vote passed the board yesterday.

Mike Simonson:

Yeah, 18-1. And, I mean, one person said that he thought it was a little too much, but otherwise 18-1’s a pretty startling vote.

Frederica Freyberg:

And in fact, you’re reporting today that there was some kind of dust-up following this vote?

Mike Simonson:

Yeah. The president of GTAC, Bill Williams, got in a heated discussion, and this is from several witnesses who saw it. It was in a very public place in the county courthouse following the meeting. And a person went to record the argument, and allegedly President Williams took the phone from them. Gave it back to them a little bit later, but it was a dust-up, as you say. And Ashland police are investigating possible injuries to this. They’re asking for medical records, as well as courthouse videos. So this happened in a very public place, and a lot of anger, which is probably indicative of both sides right now, in a very tense situation. It’s going to be a hot summer, because they’re going to be drilling probably for another two, three weeks. And as long as that’s going on, I think this heat is going to be turned up.

Frederica Freyberg:

Wow. Well, once again, in terms of kind of the legal remedy on the part of the tribes, where are they on that as this now kind of rolls forward in earnest?

Mike Simonson:

They’re not pulling the trigger yet. I asked chairman Mike Wiggins of the Bad River Band if they’re going to try to get an injunction to stop the drilling. He said not right now. He didn’t want to, you know, he didn’t want to show his cards, but I think that they’re waiting for the best possible moment. And when that is, I’m not sure. It might be when they start bulk sampling, and that would come in a couple months, and that would be when they start using explosives and take tons of rock away. That might be the catalyst.

Frederica Freyberg:

Mike Simonson, thanks very much for your reporting up there.

Mike Simonson:

You bet.