Mine Baby Mine!! Assembly Republicans tip hand, could care less about environment.

Think about it; we’ve got the resources. We can call the shots on mining. Mining companies are coming into our state asking to take our resources and make money. The least they could do is act responsibly. Certainty? They had certainty for many decades before. Nothing has changed. The sky won’t fall if a few new rules that streamline the process are adopted.  

WKOW: Republican Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) said its a concern being voiced by more than just a few environmentalists … the legislators say allows for reasonable public legal challenge of approved permits, provides more tax dollars to local communities and corrects what critics say is a weakening of some environmental protections in the Assembly bill. "There is nothing in our proposal that weakens environmental policy," Jauch said. "I have seen polling in the past that Wisconsinites are open to mining, but feel very strongly about the environmental protections we have in our state law," said Sen. Schultz.

But just as Republicans bad mouthed Wisconsin to the entire nation for years, claiming it was bad for business, assembly Republicans are signaling to mining interests that they should not settle for less and move on if they don’t get their way.

"I think they're may be some areas for compromise, but unfortunately I don't see those within the legislation that's coming out of the Senate," said Rep. Jeff Stone (R-Greendale). "At the end of the day we can have legislation, but if we don't end up attracting mining into the state, we really haven't accomplished what we need to," said Rep. Stone.
WSJ: Assembly Republican leaders were quick to denounce the proposal … they opposed the Schultz-Jauch bill because it contains ideas that were introduced as amendments to the Assembly and voted down.