To the Editor-

Last week, 300,000 West Virginians lost their water. Hundreds of people went to emergency rooms, which also did not have water. A state of emergency has been declared. All because of “clean” coal.

The toxin responsible was methylcyclohexanol, used for washing coal. West Virginia mining companies assured residents that their operations are safe and clean. The truth is just the opposite. “It’s caused us more problems than you could ever imagine,” said Danny Jones, mayor of Charleston, the state’s capital. “It’s a prison from which we would like to be released.”

West Virginia’s Chris Cline, King Coal himself, owns Gogebic Taconite, the mining company that wrote Wisconsin’s new mining law and wants to set up shop in northern Wisconsin. GTac has stated over and over that the new law protects the environment. Like the lies of King Coal, the lies of iron ore mining in Northern Wisconsin have come home to roost.

Recently, an internal Wisconsin DNR report was “leaked” to the press that clearly demonstrates why iron ore mining is bad for our health. Grounded in science, it reveals what we already know: iron mining in the Penokees poses a variety of threats to human health, and to the water supply that connects a complex ecosystem, ranging from upland forests, to wetland bogs, to Lake Superior.

All along, GTac has asked the public to wait for the science. They said, “Trust the DNR.” But when the DNR does the hard work and puts together a well-documented paper regarding the history and geology of mining, GTac didn’t even read it before discrediting it.

Those who changed the laws in Wisconsin broke the public trust. They refuse to protect the Earth for even their own children. Their actions demonstrate that they have no interest in the health and well being of our community. After destroying our land and waters, they will take their profits and disappear, leaving us with awful consequences like those now faced by the people of West Virginia.

The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation has called for a repeal of the new mining law, joining the growing ranks of citizens who are rejecting a law written by and for the mining company, at the expense of the citizens and natural resources.

Concerned citizens are uniting to protect not only the Bad River watershed and Lake Superior from mining, but all Wisconsin waters. We, the undersigned, call for the REPEAL of Act 1, Wisconsin’s unjust ferrous mining law, and Act 118, the wetlands destruction law.

Ferrous mining should be treated like any other mining, under the “Prove It First” law that has successfully protected us for years. Wisconsin can’t afford the kind of losses being seen in West Virginia. Citizens have the right to clean water. Furthermore, we have the right to be represented by our elected officials, not an out-of-state mining company run by a known polluter.

This article was submitted with over 200 signatures from residents throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois.

Aaron Gray, Ashland, WI

Al Gedicks, Emeritus Professor, Univ. of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, WI

Ali Gephart, Bayfield, WI

Allie Raven, candidate for Bayfield County Board, Delta, WI

Amanda Geary, Upson, WI

Amy Kalmon, business owner, Ashland, WI

Amy Wilson, Great Northern Solar, Port Wing, WI

Ashleigh Koenigs, Milwaukee, WI

Barb Arnst, New Richmond, WI

Barbara McFarland, Manitowish Waters, WI

Barbara Oswald, Tomah, WI

Barbara Aho, owner of a heritage family farm land in Iron Belt, & Milwaukee, WI

Barbara With, author and journalist, Lake Superior, Madeline Island, WI

Barbara Daughter, Minneapolis, MN

Bernie Schlafke, Madison, WI

Bernie Winter, Brule, WI

Beth Meyers, Bayfield County Board, Supervisor District One, Town of Russell, WI

Betsy Wilcox, Madison, WI

Bill Roundwind, Odanah, WI

Bob Gifford, WI Green Party sustainer, Stevens Point, WI

Bobbi Rongstad, Gurney, WI

Bonnie Bergman, Artist, 4th generation homestead in the Penokees, Marengo Lake, WI

Brenda Burns RN BSN, Fond du Lac, WI

Brian Kearney, Mellen, WI

Bruce Eggum, Gresham, WI

Bruce Noble, Madison, WI

Carol R Buelow, Madison, WI

Cassie McCrow, Lac du Flambeau, WI

Cathy Miller, Brule, WI

Cherie Pero, Odanah, WI

Cherie Barnes, Milton, WI

Cheryl Austin, Lancaster WI

Cheryl and Ed Willett, business owners, Highbridge WI

Christopher LaForge, owner Great Northern Solar, Port Wing, WI

Cinthia Davey, Kendall, WI

Connie Lee Flonnes, Trego, WI

Danielle Carley, Hayward, WI

David Groh, Saint Germain, WI

David Joe Bates, Bad River Tribal Member, Odanah, WI

Debbie Delung, Saxon, Iron County, WI

Deborah Blum, La Crosse WI

Deborah Gibbons, Bayfield, WI

Greg and Debra Topping, enrolled members of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Cloquet, MN

Deena Schuppe, Lapointe, WI

Diana Peterson, Madison, WI

Diane Marie, La Pointe, WI

Diibiisku Geshigukwe, Tyler Forks, Penokee Hills, WI

Don Roberts, Wausau, WI

Dorothy Mickleburgh, Madison, WI

Doug Cybela, Wausau and Bayfield, WI

Ed Jeannette, Edgerton, WI

Edwin G White, Orlando FL, formerly New Lisbon, WI

Elizabeth Bader, Marengo, WI

Ellen Monahan Holly, Elkhorn, WI

Erik Schyvinck, Stevens Point, WI

Frank Koehn, Ashland, WI

Gail Lemieux, Odanah, WI

Gena Gephart, Bayfield, WI

Gene Cichon, Ashland, WI

Gene Lemmenes, Herbster, WI

Greg Sherlock, owns land adjacent to proposed mine, Clam Lake, WI

Greg Lindquist, Highbridge, WI

Greggory Jennings, Ashland, WI

Gretchen Fincke, West Bend, WI

Gwen Carr, Appleton, WI

Hattie Greylord, Neenah, WI

Heidi Waddell, Verona, WI

Henry C Cole, Washburn, WI

Howard D Paap, Bayfield, WI

Irene Blakeley, business owner, Washburn, WI

James Patterson, La Pointe Town Supervisor, La Pointe, WI

James Richard Bailey, Grand View, WI

Jane Hudalla, Osceola, WI

Jane Weber, Delta, WI

Janet Stonecipher, Monona & Vilas County, WI

Jayne Hogfeldt RN, Poplar, WI

Jeanne Johnson, Stevens Point, WI

Jeanne  Ackley, Sokaogon Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Mole Lake, WI

Jeannie Endrizzi, Nekoosa, WI

Jeff Silbert, Washburn, WI

Jeffrey Lewis, Ashland, WI

Jenny Gourdoux Newell, Oshkosh, WI

Jessica Zuehlke, Bayfield, WI and Red Wing, MN

Jim Radtke, Bayfield, WI

Jim Brennan, Lake Galilee, WI

Jim Sommerville, Milwaukee, WI

Jim Oakley, Ashland County Board, Ashland, WI

Jim Limbach, charter member of Portage County Transportation Planning Committee, Stevens Point, WI

Jim Weeks, Green Bay, WI

Joan Cybela, Wausau and Bayfield, WI

JoAnn M Pfeifer, North Freedom, WI

Joe Agostine, unopposed candidate for 11th ward in Ashland, WI

John Endrizzi, Nekoosa, WI

John McFarland, Manitowish Waters, WI

John E Davey, Kendall, WI

John M Stewart, Washburn, WI

Jon Gould, Naperville, IL & LaPointe, WI

Jordan Grunow, Marengo, WI

Joseph Skulan, Lodi, WI

Joyce Stabenau, Sturgeon Bay, WI

JT Haines, Saint Paul, MN

Judith Detert-Moriarty, Janesville, WI

Julie Cuccia-Watts, Watertown, WI

Justus Grunow, Ashland, WI

Karen Kormann, Stockholm WI

Kate Nolan, Monona, WI

Katherine Berkvam, Beaver Dam, WI

Kathleen Grundy-Schneck, Wausau, WI

Kathy Tenney, artist, Ashland, WI

Kathy Waldo Browning, Lake Ann, MI

Kevin Rusch, Madison WI

Kristen A Martin, Fredonia, WI

Kristine M Pettersen, Madison, WI

Kristy Jensch, business owner, Washburn, WI

Larry MacDonald, Mayor of Bayfield, WI

Laura Brambilla, Birchwood, WI

Leonore Neumann, Tripoli WI

Linda Accola Atkins, Prairie du Sac, WI

Linda F Fuller, Red Cliff, WI

Lori Liddell, Tomah, WI

Lynn Carey PhD RN, Germantown, WI

Lynn Maday, Odanah, WI

Lynn Treadwell, West St Paul, MN

Lynne Basina, Township of Russell, Red Cliff, WI,

Marcie Gephart, Bayfield, WI

Marco Good, Grand Marais, MN

Marga K Krumins, Waukesha, WI

Margie  Jessup, Milton, WI

Marianne Moonhouse, Madison, WI

Marika Bader-Grunow, Marengo, WI

Marjean Moore, Pardeeville, WI

Mark Fuller, Janesville, WI

Mark Hanson, Cambridge, WI

Mark Laustrup, Hayward, WI

Marla Henseler, Webster, WI

Marsha and Gary Beggs Brown, Kewaunee, WI

Martha Cole, retired educator, Washburn, WI

Martin Curry, Town Board Supervisor, La Pointe, WI

Mary Rehwald, Ashland, WI

Mary Dougherty, Bayfield, WI

Mary Gardner, business owner, Bayfield, WI

Mary Jo Walters, Madison, WI

Mary Lee Maki, Little Chute, WI

Mary Ray Worley, Madison, WI

Mary Swerkstrom, Osceola, WI

Megan Hines, Middleton, WI

Melanie Weberg, Osceola, WI

Melanie Stricker, Mellen, WI

Michelle Heglund, Teacher, Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe School, Mellen, WI

Maureen Matusewic, Iron County, WI

Mike Matusewic, Iron County, WI

Mike and Jo Bailey, Bayfield, WI

Mike and Liz Peltier, Kenosha, WI

Nancy Foudray, Viola, WI

Nancy Tabaka-Stencil, Wausau WI

Nancy Sandstrom, Bayfield, WI

Nancy Harris, Kewaskum, WI

Napoleon Janczak, Bayfield, WI

Nicholas Nelson, La Pointe Town Board, La Pointe, WI

Nick Vander Puy, Journalist, Iron County, WI

Nicole Desautels, Madison, WI

Norma Bader, Marengo, WI & Peoria Hts., IL

Pam Robson, Portage WI

Pam Fischer RN, Green Bay, WI

Pamela Meyer, Eagle, WI

Pat Nash, Baraboo, WI

Patricia Ott, Ohio and Bad River, WI

Patricia Hammel, Madison, WI

Patricia J Ortman, Ashland, WI

Patricia M Stewart, Town of Mason, WI

Patrick Swerkstrom, Osceola, WI

Patti Jane Lemieux, Bad River, Odanah, WI

Patty Johnson, Ashland, WI

Paul Butterbrodt, Milwaukee & Montreal, WI

Paul DeMain, Reserve, WI

Paula Cooper, Pardeeville, WI

Dr. Paula Mohan, Madison, WI

Peg Randall Gardner, Mequon, WI

Pete Rasmussen, Marengo, WI

Rachel Byington, Madison, WI

Ray Reynolds, Bayfield, WI

Richard Knopf, Pepin, WI

Rob and Donna  Ganson, Washburn, WI

Roberta DeCora-Crowe, Couderay, WI

Ros Nelson, Washburn, WI

Rose Lynd, Tomahawk, WI

Sally Kessler, Cornucopia, WI

Sally Lacy, Germantown, WI

Sarah Martines, Marengo, WI

Scott Pitta, Wisconsin Conservation Congress Member, Wisconsin Dells WI

Selma Bennett, Mazomanie, WI

Sharon Stewart, Washburn, WI

Shawn Olmstead, Spring Green, WI

Sibley Stonehorse, Odanah, WI

Dr. Steve Birchall, Monona, WI

Steve Fiene, Madison/11218 Moore Park Rd., WI

Steve Pacewicz, Lake Geneva, WI

Steve Sohn, Mellen, WI

Sue Decker, Eau Claire, WI

Susan Hansen, Shell Lake, WI

Susan Aguado, Mercer, WI

Susan Crane, Brantwood, WI

Susan Hall, Town of Washburn, WI

Suzan MacKenzie-Smith, business owner, Designer’s Outlet, Ashland, WI

Tammy Silver, Gingles, WI

Ted Gephart, business owner, Bayfield, WI

Teresa Albrecht, Amherst, WI

Teresa J Wagner, City of Washburn, WI

Tom Neale, Spirit Township, Price County, WI

Tom Robson, Portage, WI

Tom Galazen, farm business owner, Town of Bayfield, WI

Tom Podlesny, Town of Gurney, Iron Co, WI

Tom Worley, Madison, WI

Tracy Chipman, writer, Town of Washburn, WI

V. J. Link, tax-paying Wisconsinite, Madison, WI

Victoria Hinzman, Green Bay, WI

Waring R.  Fincke, Vice-Chair of the Democratic Party of Washington County, WI

Warren Anderson, Washburn, WI

Wayne Toske, Mukwonago, WI