By Sara Jerome,

@sarmje

Water concerns are a top concern as some Wisconsin legislators work to end a 20-year mining ban in the state.

Legislation currently under consideration “would end the moratorium on sulfide mining in Wisconsin” and retool “other regulations aimed at easing the way for future mining projects in the state,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

“The legislation is sure to spark a big fight between environmental and business interests over whether sulfide mining can be carried out safely in Wisconsin and whether the bill, in effect, will roll back protections,” the report said.

The mining industry has its eye set on copper, zinc, gold, and silver in sulfide rock deposits in the state. But mining could create acidic runoff and pollute ground and surface water, the report said.

Republican State Sens. Tom Tiffany and Rob Hutton introduced the legislation to repeal the moratorium. They say modern technology has ensured mining is safe.

“The Mining for America Act would eliminate the nearly 20-year ban the Legislature and Governor Tommy Thompson imposed in 1998 on Wisconsin's mining industry. Tiffany and Hutton say the moratorium isn't necessary because the state has comprehensive mining laws in place, and the moratorium prevents those laws from being used,” River News Online reported.

Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters Executive Director Kerry Schumann called the legislation “irresponsible.”

“It would repeal a common sense law that requires America’s most toxic industry – metallic sulfide mining – to prove it won’t harm Wisconsin’s environment,” the Wisconsin Gazette reported.

Pro-mining group the Natural Resource Development Association argues that changing current law "can create a new generation of mining jobs that will help employ thousands of people across Wisconsin through not only mining, but other industries that contribute to mining operations, like construction," according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

For similar stories visit Water Online’s Source Water Contamination Solutions Center.