The fate of Crandon Mine in northwest Wisconsin was debated Wednesday night at a Sierra Club meeting at Edgewood College, which addressed bills that would ban mining and the use of cyanide in the area due to negative environmental effects.
The two bills would ban the use of cyanide because it is a threat to the ecosystem.
Dave Blouin, the Mining Committee head chairman, and Glenn Reynolds, attorney for the Sokaogon Chippewa Tribe, said they believe mining in the area harms the environment.
“Glenn and I take a strong stand against the Crandon Mine proposal, mostly due to the huge amount of potential negative impact to the area around the mining site and the Wolf River,” Blouin said.
The mining would occur at the headwaters of the Wolf River, which could be hazardous since waste material has the potential to be carried downstream, Blouin said.
The experts discussed the proposal of two bills: SB 160, the Cyanide Prohibition Bill, and SB 271, dubbed the “No Special Treatment” bill.
The Cyanide Prohibition bill, introduced by state Sen. Russell Decker, D-Schofield, would ban the use of cyanide, a chemical used in metallic mining. When combined with water and oxygen, cyanide creates sulfuric acid, which can threaten water quality.
“If there should be a spill or leakage of the waste in water, it would take an extremely small amount of cyanide to harm or kill all water life exposed to it,” Blouin said.
Under current state law, the DNR grant permits for the storage and disposal of solid waste. But under proposed legislation, the DNR would be unable to grant permits relating to mining waste.
Blouin said the second bill, introduced by Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, would restrict permits that enable mining companies to work around protection laws.
Both Reynolds and Blouin said it is unlikely the bill will pass the Assembly Environmental Committee this spring.
The issues surrounding Crandon Mine have sparked on-going debate since 1975, when rich zinc, copper, and precious-metal deposits were discovered outside the city.
BHP Billiton, a conglomerate of an Australian and South African Mining Company is currently seeking mining rights.
The company is currently conducting research at the mine to ensure it is safe for the environment.
In order to stop water from leaking into the mine itself, BHP Billiton plans to fill cracks in the surface with clay and cement. This technique would prevent water from lakes and streams around the area from seeping into the mine.
Reynolds said Crandon Mine could mean economic growth. It has the potential to create up to 400 jobs, increase tax revenues and bring cash flow into the Sokaogon Chippewa Reservation.
But Glenn claims the economic benefits are not worth the possible safety and environmental impact.
“This is a reckless project,” Glenn said, “To extract ore that would only amount to .2 percent of the U.S. consumption in one year against the loss of an entire eco-system of northern Wisconsin forever.”
