Why Are Fitzgerald and the Republicans Refusing To Work?

The regular legislative session in Wisconsin has ended for the year, leaving our state legislators practically on vacation for the remainder. However, like most Wisconsinites, there's lots of work the legislators still need to do this year, but Senate Co-Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald is refusing to do his job and bring his party to a special session. Fitzgerald is wasting millions of taxpayer money by refusing to do his job.

The first most critical is fixing the Republicans' illegal gerrymandering. Until it's fixed, no one in Wisconsin will have proper representation, because none of the new maps can be used until the gerrymandering is fixed. Right now, Fitzgerald is planning to waste more taxpayer money in court instead of following court orders and simply doing his job.

The next thing they need to do is pass the Republicans' only jobs plan. There's enough votes in the Senate to pass the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act with the Democrats and Republican Dale Schultz. Yet, Fitzgerald is refusing to bring the Senate back to pass it. The Republicans promised they would pass a mining bill as their jobs plan.

There are lots of other things that need to be done, like more jobs plans that have been put forth by the ignored Democrats. All of this can be done if the Republicans keep their word and begin a special session.

It sounds like Fitzgerald would rather spend his time in the nice spring weather getting ready to defend himself against a recall than actually work for Wisconsin. Lot's of unemployed people in Wisconsin would love to work at a job, but they're out of luck because Fitzgerald can't bring himself to do his.

Last year, the Democrats were forced to work outside of the state in order to be able to negotiate with the Republicans over the "budget repair bill." The Republicans tried to blame the Democrats for not working for the citizens of Wisconsin, but it was clear that they were still communicating with citizens and negotiating with other legislators from outside the boundary of the state. Now, the Republicans are refusing to do any work towards their promises, no negotiations, nothing. It's time for Wisconsin to start asking why the Republicans aren't working.

Why are the Republicans refusing to do the work they promised Wisconsin they would do?

Let Us Pass A Mining Bill Now

With the State Senate split 50/50, the far-right Republican leadership now must work with Democrats to pass mining legislation. Let's get it done. We've got illegal gerrymandering to fix anyway. Two birds, one stone.

In fact, the Democrats have enough votes with Republican Senator Dale Schultz to pass the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act right now. It doesn't curb environmental protections, and it gives Gogebic Taconite what they want.

The Republican leadership was planning on a special session for mining legislation, but they cancelled it. The only reason they planned the special session was to prevent passage of the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act in the regular legislative session. The planned special session made it impossible for the Democrats to vote on the WWMR Act. Then, the Republicans blamed Democrats and Schultz for not passing new mining legislation, when in fact it was their inability to compromise with even others within their own party that prevented a bill from passing.

Now it's time for the Republican leadership to make good on their word. We need a special session on mining to pass the only jobs plan the Republicans have.

We all know the Republicans won't make good on their word and even just start a special session for mining legislation, but our calls to begin one will shine a bright light on their hypocritical stubbornness.

Scott Fitzgerald Reveals That Corporations Wrote Mining Bill

A friend of mine pointed me to this video of Scott Fitzgerald talking about "when the corporations started building that bill," referring to the mining bill AB 426, which the Republican leadership held steadfast to instead of passing the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act. The clip takes place during Fitzgerald's press conference after the Senate failed to pass their industry-written bill.



The entire video is here



The Republican leadership say they're against government regulation, but when it comes to women's bodies, the Republicans in Wisconsin want more government regulation. They're pushing several bills in the Assembly today. I guess it all depends upon who's lining their pockets.

No Environmental Protections, But We Can Regulate Women's Bodies

The Republicans in Wisconsin can't let go of their extreme right-wing agenda. Instead of passing a bipartisan mining bill last week that gave Gogebic Taconite what they publicly requested without sacrificing environmental protections (Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act), the Republicans held steadfast to AB 426 with the goal to reduce government regulation in the form of environmental protections. Yes, Republicans, government regulation is good sometimes, it even ensures my milk is fresh, and you used to feel the same way.

But, no, they don't see it that way anymore, and since that was the Republicans' only jobs plan, we have no hope for any significant change in the other direction to finally recover from the recession. Not that the mining bill would have given us exactly that either, but it would have been something.

Instead, today the Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly will be trying to pass new abortion laws, because government regulation is good when it regulates women's bodies. Some of the new regulations include teaching only abstinence in sex education classes, because that works.

One abortion bill is similar to the vaginal probe legislation in Virginia, requiring a doctor to be in the room when abortion-inducing pills are taken, even though there is no medical need. It also requires an additional conversation between the doctor and patient within 24 hours to make sure she really wants it, because she can't be expected to thoughtfully consider the decision and talk to her doctor herself. The bill just makes getting an abortion more troublesome and difficult by increasing government regulation over women's bodies.

Another bill would ban insurance companies in Wisconsin from covering abortions. Are you kidding me?! More government regulation on women's bodies and now our insurance companies.

Today is more proof that the far-right Republicans in control of Wisconsin care only about their extreme ideological agendas and not jobs or the middle class.

Watch the Republicans talk about the need for government regulation today on WisEye!

Republicans Killing Any Hope of Jobs In Wisconsin

Yesterday, instead of moving the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act to the full Senate for likely passage, the Republicans in the Joint Finance Committee sent a bill to the full Senate that no one but far-right Republicans support and will take muscling to pass. The Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act provides everything that Gogebic Taconite asked for to create their promised hundreds of union jobs. While the Republican leadership-supported AB 426 goes much further than Gogebic Taconite requested to push far-right ideological goals at the risk of the promised jobs when Wisconsin could use all the help it can get. The Republicans are killing any hope of jobs in Wisconsin by refusing to give way to their extreme ideology.

The Republicans have offered no reasoning or compromise on their far-right goals. The only reason they give for Republican Senator Dale Schultz and the Democrats to take their fake compromise is that it includes a number of modified items from the WWMR Act. Republican Rep. Robin Vos said they have included "60%" of the WWMR Act in the fake compromise, and therefore it should be a sufficient compromise. However, not only are most of the items modified, but the Republican leadership has intentionally left out the most critical items from their fake compromise. In particular environmental protections, real contested case hearings, and keeping the money in the local communities that they deserve.

Getting Gogebic Taconite to open a mine is the only serious jobs plan the Republicans have, even though we've bled over 35,000 jobs since Walker signed his budget last year. The Republicans are risking these jobs by not compromising with Schultz and the Democrats. All it would have taken was to move the bill onto the full Senate. With Schultz, the Democrats have a majority, and it would have likely passed. Much more likely than AB 426. However, that's exactly what the Republican leadership fears.

They can't fail. With the scent of failure all over the Republicans, they need to pass a jobs (um, mining) bill, and it needs to be theirs. Otherwise, the leadership has clearly failed. Why else would they abruptly disband the mining Senate committee that Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald commissioned himself? If it weren't to pass AB 426 as Fitzgerald said it was, what would have been the point? The Republicans must pass AB 426 to keep the egg off their faces, but by refusing to remove their ideological provisions, they have little chance of passing it.

Why is the Republican leadership pushing so hard for totally unnecessary far-right ideological goals when we need jobs? Why didn't the leadership allow the full Senate to vote on a bipartisan bill that gives Gogebic what they want and would probably pass? Instead, they moved a bill that will take muscling to pass. The Republicans shouldn't be risking jobs at this time for their ideological goals unsupported by a large majority of Wisconsin.

Why do the media in Wisconsin consider the far-right AB 426 "the mining bill" as if it were the only option? It definitely doesn't help Wisconsinites understand the real debate that's happening between Wisconsin values and far-right ideology. It's not one bill or no bill. There's already a compromise between Republicans and Democrats and it's the WWMR Act, the Republican leadership just refuses to accept it.

Senator Dale Schultz's passionate statement on why he crafted the WWMR Act with Jauch and how it compromises with the Republican leadership is a compelling read. I strongly encourage your indulgence.

Read A Plea for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act for more information on why we need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act, the failure of the Republican leadership to draft legislation in the open, and the pressure they've put on Schultz to cave. 

Give Schultz and the Democrats some love and tell the other Republicans to not risk greatly needed jobs for ideological goals and instead support the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act.

Republicans Continue to Push Ideological Mining Bill But New Law Likely

In the pursuit of a few hundred union jobs six years from now, the Republican leadership in Wisconsin is dead-set on passing new mining legislation. The Republicans' only plan to stop the bleeding of our jobs is to get Gogebic Taconite to open a mine in northern Wisconsin with the promise of jobs in the future. Unfortunately, the Republicans are trying to force legislation down our throats that goes much further than Gogebic asked for.

The Republicans created AB 426 behind closed doors and passed it in the Assembly along party lines with little public input and no negotiation. Thankfully, one Republican Senator has his head on straight, Dale Schultz. Schultz and fellow Democrat Senator Bob Jauch created the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act which gives Gogebic Taconite what they want without going further and removing environmental protections as well as public input and taking money away from the local communities (bulletpoint overview).

The Republican leadership continues to offer "compromises" that move little by little to the WWMR Act, but don't have any real meat, the last one was offered this morning. The Republican leadership, think Scott Fitzgerald who is under recall, will stop at nothing to get a mining bill because they need it as a jobs bill. The WWMR Act is an actual compromise with opponents of the Assembly bill and the Republican leadership. It provides predictability and certainty, giving Gogebic the one thing they asked for, while keeping our current environmental protections instead of strengthening them as many would like.

The Joint Finance Committee met this afternoon to debate the two bills, and then to vote on the fake compromise revealed to the Democrats just hours before. The Democrats on the JFC, Represenatives Jon Richards and Cory Mason and Senators Bob Jauch and Lena Taylor, all pushed for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act. The question kept getting asked, "Why not support the bipartisan compromise in front of you?"

Rep. Robin Vos's only response was that they have included "60%" of the WWMR Act in the fake compromise, and therefore it should be a sufficient compromise. The problem is that much of the missing 40% is more important than the included 60%. In particular environmental protections, real contested case hearings, and keeping the money in the local communities that they deserve.

Senator Jauch said Schultz and the Democrats have been getting a lot of hate email for supporting the WWMR Act. But he added that they've also been getting a lot of emails from Republicans who don't support AB 426 saying things like, "I'm a Republican and this bill needs to be changed."

Jauch said the WWMR Act is responsible mining. He added that the WWMR Act doesn't create "obstacles but efficiencies."

You can watch the debate in the archives at WisEye. If you see how the Democrats fight AB 426 and defend the WWMR Act, you'll know who's fighting for Wisconsin.

Unfortunately for Wisconsin, the JFC quickly shot down the WWMR Act on party lines. They wouldn't allow it to go to a vote in the full Senate for fear that it would pass. It probably would with Schultz and the Democrats in the majority.

There was little response to the Democrats questions about the fake compromise from the Republican leadership. The leadership just wanted to get right to the vote on their fake compromise.

Among other issues with the fake compromise, Rep. Richards said, "Citizens will basically be barred from using the contested case in any way."

Earlier, Rep. Cory Mason said in reference to language in the fake compromise, "Could this be drafted wrong?" As the language is "appalling" according to Sen. Bob Jauch. Unfortunately, I missed the specific language they were referring to, but I believe they were referring to the pseudo-contested cases defined in the fake compromise. Dale Schultz said the pseudo contested cases it includes "is no compromise at all. In fact, it makes a bad idea worse."

Senator Jauch said, "You cannot have us change the law every time a mine opens" so its tailored to the company opening the mine. He added, "It's going to have an impact on navigable waters, and there's going to be a lawsuit" from someone. It "invites a lawsuit." "It is completely the opposite for providing predictability and certainty." It "will provide jobs for lawyers."

The JFC passed the fake compromise, now known as AB 426/SB 488 on to the full Senate on party lines. The Republican leadership will now put immense pressure on Schultz, and even Democrats to cave for union jobs. They only need one to get it passed in the full Senate now and become law. What worries me is that I don't believe they would have passed AB 426 out of committee if they didn't think they could get the votes in the full Senate. Darling said, "If we don't have the votes tomorrow, we will keep working on it."

The Republicans won't settle for nothing, we will get new mining legislation and it won't be any better than the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act, because no one is pushing for anything better. If the Republican leadership wants jobs, we need to make them pass the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act. We can't afford to settle for anything less.

Why is the Republican leadership pushing so hard for totally unnecessary ideological goals when we need jobs? Why didn't the leadership allow the full Senate to vote on a bipartisan bill that gives Gogebic what they want and would probably pass? Instead, they move a bill that will take muscling to pass.

Senator Dale Schultz's passionate statement on why he crafted the WWMR Act with Jauch and how it compromises with the Republican leadership is a compelling read. I strongly encourage your indulgence.

Read A Plea for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act for more information on why we need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act, the failure of the Republican leadership to draft legislation in the open, and the pressure they've put on Schultz to cave. 

Give Schultz and the Democrats some love and tell the other Republicans to support the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act.

Wisconsin Republicans Forcing Crap Mining Bill Down Our Throats

The Republican leadership in Wisconsin is trying to shove crap mining legislation down our throats. Republican co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee Darling and Vos released a fake compromise this morning, which Republican Senator Dale Schultz said the pseudo contested cases it includes "is no compromise at all. In fact, it makes a bad idea worse."

Instead of compromising with Republican Senator Dale Schultz and Democrats by supporting the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act which keeps our existing environmental protections (bulletpoint overview), the Republican leadership has offered another fake compromise. Schultz has rejected the fake compromise, Jauch offered the WWMR Act to the JFC, and we're set for a major battle when the JFC reconvenes at 4:15pm.

You can watch it live on WisEye - Charter channel 995 or online. If you see Senators Schultz and Jauch fight AB 426 and defend the WWMR Act, you'll know who's fighting for Wisconsin.

The fake compromise was drafted behind closed doors and released to the Joint Finance Committee just hours before they're expected to vote on it. Sen. Lena Taylor blasted the Republican leadership for drafting the new bill behind closed doors and giving the committee only a few hours to review it before a vote. It took 3 hours for the Legislative Reference Bureau to walk the Democrats through all of the changes to the Assembly bill that they'll be expected to vote on when they come back. Sen. Jauch said that through the 3 hours the Democrats "could barely take a breath" with all of the questions they needed to ask to understand the changes.

Rep. Cory Mason said in reference to language in the fake compromise, "Could this be drafted wrong?" As the language is "appalling" according to Sen. Bob Jauch. Unfortunately, I missed the specific language they were referring to, but I believe they were referring to the pseudo-contested cases defined in the fake compromise.

A less-talked about issue with the Assembly bill is how much money it allows a mining company to not pay the local communities. Sen. Jauch noted that the fake compromise continues to take significant amounts of money out of the local communities. Gogebic Taconite asked for predictability in the permit process, and the WWMR Act provides that, AB 426 and the fake compromise go much further than the company asked for.

I'm 99.999% sure we're going to get new mining legislation whether we like it or not. The Republican leadership, think Scott Fitzgerald who is under recall, will stop at nothing to get a mining bill because they need it as a jobs bill. They will move as little to our side as they can to get a bill, but they will. We'll likely end up with something worse if we don't support the WWMR Act, since it's what has been offered by the opposition to the Assembly bill and the Republicans need this to have any appearance of trying to create jobs. Let's try to get them to support the WWMR Act instead.

Senator Dale Schultz's passionate statement on why he crafted the WWMR Act with Jauch and how it compromises with the Republican leadership is a compelling read. I strongly encourage your indulgence.

Read A Plea for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act for more information on why we need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act, the failure of the Republican leadership to draft legislation in the open, and the pressure they've put on Schultz to cave.

Call or email everyone: Schultz, Republican, Democrat, we need mining legislation that doesn't curb existing environmental protections, retains our level of input and review, and gives local communities the funds they deserve. We need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act.

I will try to update this post with new notable information that comes out of the JFC meeting as I can.

Update: (5:38pm) Democrat members of the JFC, Represenatives Jon Richards and Cory Mason and Senators Bob Jauch and Lena Taylor, have been speaking eloquently for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act put forward by Senators Dale Schultz and Jauch. The question keeps being asked, "Why not support the bipartisan compromise in front of you?"

Robin Vos's only response so far is that they have included "60%" of the WWMR Act in the fake compromise, and therefore it should be a sufficient compromise. The problem is that much of the missing 40% is more important than the included 60%.

Update: (5:44pm) Sen. Jauch said Schultz and the Democrats have been getting a lot of hate email for supporting the WWMR Act.

Jauch said, "You cannot have us change the law every time a mine opens" so its tailored to the company opening the mine. The WWMR Act is responsible mining. He added that the WWMR Act doesn't create "obstacles but efficiencies."

Jauch also said the Democrats have also been getting a lot of emails from Republicans who don't support AB 426 and say "I'm a Republican and this bill needs to be changed."

Update: (6:01pm) The JFC just shot down the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act on party lines.

Update: (6:09pm) The JFC passed the fake compromise, now known as AB 426/SB 488 on to the full Senate on party lines. More info including a recap here.

Watch The Republicans Screw Wisconsin on WisEye

The Joint Finance Committee is debating the Assembly mining bill and a fake compromise offered by Republicans Darling and Vos. You can watch the debate live on WisEye.

Instead of compromising with Republican Senator Dale Schultz and Democrats by supporting the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act which keeps our existing environmental protections (bulletpoint overview), the Republican leadership has offered another fake compromise. Schultz has rejected the fake compromise, Jauch plans to offer the WWMR Act to the JFC, and we're set for a major battle.

Rep. Cory Mason said in reference to language in the fake compromise, "Could this be drafted wrong?" As the language is "appalling" according to Sen. Bob Jauch. I missed the specific language they were referring to. Sen. Lena Taylor blasted the Republican leadership for drafting the new bill behind closed doors and giving the committee only a few hours to review it before a vote.

A less-talked about issue with the Assembly bill is how much money it allows a mining company to not pay the local communities. Sen. Jauch noted that the fake compromise continues to take significant amounts of money out of the local communities.

I'm 99% sure we're going to get new mining legislation whether we like it or not. We'll likely end up with something worse if we don't support the WWMR Act, since it's what has been offered by the opposition to the Assembly bill and the Republicans need this to have any appearance of trying to create jobs.

Senator Dale Schultz's passionate statement on why he crafted the WWMR Act with Jauch and how it compromises with the Republican leadership is a compelling read. I strongly encourage your indulgence.

Read A Plea for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act for more information why we need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act, the failure of the Republican leadership to draft legislation in the open, and the pressure they've put on Schultz to cave.

Call or email everyone: Schultz, Republican, Democrat, we need mining legislation that doesn't curb existing environmental protections, retains our level of input and review, and gives local communities the funds they deserve. We need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act.

Update: 3:15pm The JFC has adjourned for an hour for the Democrats to review what they learned about the fake compromise. It took 3 hours for the Legislative Reference Bureau to walk the Democrats through all of the changes to the Assembly bill that they'll be expected to vote on when they come back. Sen. Jauch said that through the 3 hours the Democrats "could barely take a breath" with all of the questions they needed to ask to understand the changes.

Schultz has already rejected the fake compromise saying the pseudo contested cases it includes "is no compromise at all. In fact, it makes a bad idea worse."

Jauch submitted a substitute amendment for review by the JFC, which I believe is the Wisconisin Way Mining Reform Act.

At 3:35pm on WisEye Schultz and Jauch are talking about the bills.

Mining Bill With Union Jobs AND Current Environmental Protections

Ya, that's right, the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act from Senators Dale Schultz (R) and Bob Jauch (D) effectively retains our current environmental protections and gives Gogebic Taconite what they want to create the promised "hundreds" of union jobs (bulletpoint overview). But, we only have until noon today to convince the Republican leadership to pass it instead of pressuring Schultz to cave and vote for the Assembly's mining bill (AB 426). That's when the Joint Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on AB 426, passing it to the full Senate, and then the Republican leadership will do everything they can to force Schultz to vote for it.

We need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act because getting Gogebic Taconite to open a mine is the Republican's only plan to create jobs, and they won't settle for nothing. If we don't get the WWMR Act, we'll most likely get the horrific AB 426, and there's nothing to be afraid of in the WWMR Act.

The company will announce later today that they've promised the majority of the 600-700 jobs that the mine will directly create will be union jobs (JS paywall). They're doing this in an attempt to sway Democrats to vote for the Assembly bill, because Schultz hasn't caved - they just need one. Instead of severely rolling back environmental protections, they should all vote for the bipartisan Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act, which gives everyone what they want.

Read A Plea for the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act for more on why we need to support the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act. I know its lengthy, but its worth it to get the full picture.

Senator Dale Schultz's passionate statement on why he crafted the WWMR Act with Jauch and how it compromises with the Republican leadership is a compelling read. I strongly encourage your indulgence.

Call or email everyone: Schultz, Republican, Democrat, we need mining legislation that doesn't curb existing environmental protections, retains our level of input and review, and gives local communities the funds they deserve. We need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act.

A Plea for the Necessary Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act

Have you seen how many jobs we've lost since Governor Scott Walker signed his budget at the end of June last year? Over 35,000 jobs, more than any other state, and our decline is only expected to continue. Unfortunately, the Republicans haven't given much thought to job creation, and they've come up with only one serious plan. The Republicans' only plan to stop the bleeding is to get Gogebic Taconite to open a mine in northern Wisconsin with the promise of jobs in the future. Gogebic Taconite halted plans to open the mine when they heard we might be changing our laws, and now they say they won't open the mine if we don't change our laws.

Walker and the Republicans offered tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy (um, "job creators") last year to try to create jobs. Unfortunately, that hasn't been working, as it never has in the past, while jobs have been popping up all around us. And the Republicans haven't offered any other effective plans. Meanwhile, the Democrats have been proposing jobs bills left and right, and each has been rejected by the Republicans. We need something to spark some job creation, anything, even a promise of jobs to come.

That's what we get with new mining legislation, the promise of new jobs - union jobs to sweeten the deal. Gogebic Taconite estimates that the mine would create about two thousand jobs in Wisconsin, 600-700 from the mine itself, and the rest from equipment purchases and the additional money in the local economy. Most of the 600-700 jobs are promised to be union jobs (JS paywall). However, Gogebic Taconite said that if we don't pass new mining legislation that provides what they need before the end of this session, they will probably walk away.

Let's face it, we need new mining legislation if we're going to try to turn this ship around, because the Republicans don't have anything else to boost employment, and no more laws will be passed this year after March 15. If Gogebic doesn't open the mine, we have no significant increase in jobs to look forward to besides what *might* come out of Washington. Without new mining legislation, we'll have to hope our economy jump-starts itself. But in crafting new legislation, we have to keep our environmental protections. It would be nice if we could strengthen them, but that's clearly not going to happen under this far-right leadership (conservative = conservation?).

The Republicans in the Assembly crafted a bill behind closed doors and then passed it with little public input and no negotiation. The bill severely rolls back environmental protections and restricts public input and review. It would also make getting flood insurance very difficult if not impossible for all Wisconsinites. Residents of the community where the proposed mine would operate are strongly against the bill, as is the rest of Wisconsin, and they appear to be against the mine. We need to let them have their say, and we need to listen to them.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald realized how bad the Assembly bill was, and he created a bipartisan Senate committee to craft a mining bill that finds a balance between streamlining the permit process and environmental protections. However, just as the committee was getting close to a bipartisan compromise, Fitzgerald abruptly disbanded the committee he commissioned. Then Fitzgerald sent the Assembly's mining bill to the Joint Finance Committee to later be sent to the full Senate for passage, hoping to ram it through.

There was one small hitch in Fitzgerald's plan, one Republican, Senator Dale Schultz, can't vote for the Assembly's mining bill without a "clear conscience," even though he votes the party line about 99% of the time. Schultz served on Fitzgerald's mining committee, and he spent a lot of time discussing and listening to everyone he could. He also worked with Democrats, and Senator Bob Jauch was one of those Democrats. The mine proposed by Gogebic Taconite would run through Jauch's district. While they served on the committee, the two visited the residents where the mine would be located and came to an understanding with each other and the residents. From this understanding and our current legislation, the two crafted a bipartisan mining bill entitled the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act (bulletpoint overview).

The Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act is a true bipartisan bill with support from both Republicans and Democrats, well at least one Republican. It streamlines the permit process like Gogebic Taconite requested, and it retains our current environmental protections and process of public input. Schultz's passionate statement on why he crafted the WWMR Act with Jauch and how it compromises with the Republican leadership is a compelling read. I strongly encourage your indulgence.

The WWMR Act gives Gogebic what they asked for, thus creating "thousands" of jobs, and it ensures that the new mine won't pollute any more than it could under current legislation. Not only that, the WWMR Act could spur other mines with its streamlined permit process. And it's an easily passed bill with bipartisan support. What's not to love?

Gogebic Taconite and the Republican leadership flatly rejected the WWMR Act, and the Republican leadership increased their pressure on Schultz to cave and vote for the Assembly bill. Republicans Darling and Vos wrote a fake compromise designed to pressure Schultz into caving. In their press release they wrote, "We have listened to his concerns and responded with a compromise proposal which address many of the concerns we heard from Senator Schultz. We hope he takes the time to thoroughly review the measure and that we are able to find common ground." But Schultz still hasn't caved, because as he said, "My conscience simply won’t allow me to surrender the existing environmental protections without a full and open public debate."

So, why are the majority of Republicans against the WWMR Act? Who knows for sure, but a lack of understanding appears to be one reason. Schultz says the Republican leadership often don't know what they're talking about and continue to exclude experts. "For every question answered, new uncertainties arose, and there was a decided lack of expertise in the room to answer them," he said. Schultz added, "These types of long-lasting and far-reaching environmental changes should not be made by a room full of legislators, staff and a handful of DNR folks behind closed doors."

The WWMR Act gives Gogebic a timeline by limiting the currently infinitely long permit process to 540 days, with extensions only if necessary. The effective timeline isn't much different than that of Minnesota's and Michigan's (JS paywall link). The WWMR Act keeps our current environmental standards, which would allow us to continue to get flood insurance. It also retains the contested case hearings that are similarly offered in Minnesota and Michigan, and the only way for the public to get testimony under oath without the outrageous costs associated with suing a mining company.

Everybody's been saying that new mining legislation is nearly dead, but the Republican leadership isn't giving up, because this is their only jobs plan. In an effort to put more pressure on Schultz, the Joint Finance Committee is scheduled to vote on the Assembly bill (AB 426) Monday afternoon. With an overwhelming majority of Republicans, the committee will pass the bill, allowing the full Senate to vote on it. That's when the Republican leadership will begin to put immense pressure on Schultz to cave and vote for the bill.

The Republican leadership has failed to create any legislation in the open, but they won't risk losing their jobs any more by letting this mine slip away. If the Republicans pass the Assembly bill out of the JFC, they will probably find a way to make Schultz cave. They need this BAD. If the Republican leadership can't get their way, they will have to compromise and pass the WWMR Act or suffer the consequences of bleeding jobs with no plan to even slow the bleeding. That's where we come in.

Talks between Schultz and the two Republican leaders of the committee are set to resume Monday morning. If the two sides can't reach agreement, the leadership will push the bill through committee and do everything they can to make Schultz cave. If the Republicans realize before Monday afternoon that they'd be better off supporting the WWMR Act, they may pass that through committee instead. It's possibly the last chance we have of getting a decent mining bill or any job stimulus. To get jobs, we have to convince the Republican leadership to pass the WWMR Act to save their jobs before Monday afternoon.

Call everyone Monday morning: Schultz, Republican, Democrat, we need mining legislation that doesn't curb existing environmental protections, retains our level of input and review, and gives local communities the funds they deserve. We need the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act.

Email them now!

Tell them early and tell them often. Spread the word. (Hint: quick links below :) )

The Only Wisconsin Jobs Plan Is Dying By Republican Hands

The Republicans have one and only one jobs plan for Wisconsin, get Gogebic Taconite to open a mine in northern Wisconsin. But because the majority of Republicans refuse to consult experts and insist on gutting existing environmental protections, they can't get enough votes to pass a bill.

The Republicans have had such a bad record on jobs that they're willing to stake Wisconsin's future for "hundreds" of jobs. The "jobs plan" could create 600-700 jobs, as the company promised it would create that many if they opened the mine, with some additional jobs in the surrounding area. However, according to Scott Walker, the company isn't interested if Wisconsin's environmental protections are kept intact.

The Assembly mining bill (AB 426), or a similar version, is on life support, but the Republicans are very close to passing such a bill. The only person standing in their way is Republican State Senator Dale Schultz. Schultz said, "My conscience simply won't allow me to surrender the existing environmental protections without a full and open debate." Residents where the proposed mine will be located are strongly against the Republicans' bill, in fact all of Wisconsin is. So, Schultz and Democrat Senator Bob Jauch, whose district covers the location of the mine, offered a compromise bill last week with more support (Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act). However, the bill was flatly rejected by Gogebic Taconite and Walker, and the Republican leadership are now blaming Schultz and the Democrats for the Republicans' failure to compromise.

We may need new mining legislation that improves the permit process, but Wisconsin must not easily give up its environmental protections, especially for a relatively small amount of jobs. It's concerning when a company won't commit to a project unless they know they can pollute more. We can get far more than 600-700 jobs without sacrificing so much. It's very unfortunate the Republican leaders put all their eggs in one basket and then refuse to compromise.

If we don't get new mining legislation, it won't be because Schultz or the Democrats wouldn't compromise. It will be because the Republicans wouldn't bring everyone to the table in an open and democratic process and then refused to compromise. Take for example, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald's abrupt disbanding of the bipartisan committee he setup to create a better bill than the Assembly's. The Republican leadership has already failed, whether we get new mining legislation or not. And the lack of jobs stemming from the imminent failure is yet another Republican failure to make a wholehearted effort to craft a jobs plan for Wisconsin.

Senator Dale Schultz is under significant pressure to cave, and he has been a big target of negative ads and robocalls, even the Journal Sentinel is getting in the mix with several articles hammering away. The Joint Finance Committee has scheduled a vote on the Assembly bill for Monday, and I'm sure the pressure against Schultz will hit a fever pitch when it passes the committee. The legislative session is set to end March 15.

Don't be afraid to tell Senator Dale Schultz you support him standing up for Wisconsin. His office phone is (608) 266-0703 or (800) 978-8008, or email him at Sen.Schultz@legis.wisconsin.gov. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear from you, especially if you're a constituent.

Mining Legislation All but Dead, Journal Sentinel Pressuring Schultz to Cave

Republican Wisconsin State Senator Dale Schultz has been standing up to significant pressure from his party to support a mining bill that would severely rollback environmental protections. The bill could even make it impossible for Wisconsinites to get flood insurance. Yesterday, Schultz said he could not support a bill that removed vital protections. Schultz said, "My conscience simply won't allow me to surrender the existing environmental protections without a full and open debate." The Republicans are refusing to compromise, and now they're blaming Schultz for what looks like a dead bill.

The problem is, the mining bill is the only "jobs bill" the Republicans have on tap. If they don't get that, they have nothing. You heard that right, no jobs plan. That is besides mining legislation written specifically to curtail environmental protections so that one mining company can "feel comfortable." Then, this one mining company, in the far North of Wisconsin, will do more mining.

In another sign that the majority of Republicans don't know what compromise is, yesterday, two Republicans (Darling and Vos) came out with what they called a "compromise" bill. Not a compromise with Democrats or anyone else. It wasn't even a compromise with the one person they're trying to rope in, because it clearly didn't address Schultz's main concerns.

Darling and Vos put pressure squarely on Schultz in their "compromise," showing they only intend to sway him. They wrote, "We have listened to his concerns and responded with a compromise proposal which address many of the concerns we heard from Senator Schultz. We hope he takes the time to thoroughly review the measure and that we are able to find common ground." But Schultz didn't cave.

Schultz has blasted the other Republicans' process of secret and closed-door meetings without experts. "For every question answered, new uncertainties arose, and there was a decided lack of expertise in the room to answer them," Schultz said. "These types of long-lasting and far-reaching environmental changes should not be made by a room full of legislators, staff and a handful of DNR folks behind closed doors."

Now, the Journal Sentinel has gotten on board writing,

"...a key holdout [Schultz] refused to support mining legislation that held out the possibility of work for thousands."

That number of "thousands" is a starkly exaggerated claim. The mine is said to create maybe hundreds of jobs. The company has promised "hundreds" not "thousands." And JS moved the article to the top with a nice big picture of Walker. The JS talks about the "compromise" bill from Darling and Vos as if it's a real compromise and the only option for Schultz. I guess there's no hiding the fact the majority in the Republican party (read far-right) control Wisconsin.

Schultz has been a big target of negative ads and robocalls. The pressure is heating up, and Wisconsin and Dale Schultz need your support. If the Republicans want new mining legislation, they'll have to keep environmental protections.

Don't be afraid to tell Senator Dale Schultz you support him standing up for Wisconsin. His office phone is (608) 266-0703 or (800) 978-8008, or email him at Sen.Schultz@legis.wisconsin.gov. I'm sure he'll be happy to hear from you, especially if you're a constituent.

Update: (3/3/2012 6:46 PM) The Journal Sentinel has written another article (paywall link) calling out Schultz, saying, "the measure is in serious jeopardy because of one Republican, Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center." Again, the JS puts the blame on Schultz, as if he's the one who must give in to pass a bill. The Republican leadership can't possibly be to blame for refusing to craft a bill in the open or make any real effort to compromise. The JS makes it clear the Republican leadership isn't bothering to negotiate with Democrats and Gogebic Taconite won't accept our current environmental protections - or even rolling them back some as in the Schultz/Jauch compromise (Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act).

In the article the JS tries to simplify the issues for a broad audience, a valiant effort, but they greatly oversimplify the issues. They try to boil several issues down to "environmental standards," and then they write a confusing breakdown. They say the Assembly "mining bill doesn't change numeric standards that specify the amount or kinds of pollution that can trickle into streams, or go up a smokestack." But then they immediately follow that by saying the bill would exempt a mining company from "existing regulations governing groundwater, surface water and the management of solid hazardous waste." The Assembly mining bill may not change existing standards, but if it exempts mining companies from complying with those standards, the effect of the bill is to change those standards.

Why aren't Gogebic Taconite and the Republican leadership satisfied with the timeline given by the Schultz/Jauch compromise? Gogebic Taconite, or any other mining company, should be able to assure their investors and the public that they will be open and thorough enough to complete the application process within 540 days. The only reason the clock would stop is if Gogebic hasn't done the required research or isn't making it available. Why can't the JS point out this simple fact?

The JS does a decent job of covering the contested case hearings issue, but they leave out one important fact when they give the Republican leadership's view that contested cases aren't needed. The JS writes, "They also say the public is never shut out of the process. For example, before a contested case starts, a separate public review of the DNR's environmental impact statement of a mine can last for months." However, the critical component of contested case hearings is that witnesses are put under oath, and the public review doesn't provide that. So, the public has no assurance that we're being told the truth, and the only reason to take contested cases away is to be able to lie without fear of perjury when a serious issue is brought up.

Dale Schultz's passionate comments on why he crafted the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act with Senator Bob Jauch (D) and how they worked to compromise with Republican leadership can be found here at WisPolitics. I strongly encourage you to read them.

An overview of the Wisconsin Way Mining Reform Act can also be found at WisPolitics.

Republicans Release Compromise Mining Bill - for Republicans

The Republicans have finally compromised on mining legislation for Wisconsin. Compromised with themselves that is. And no agreement has actually been reached between Republicans.

In the press release, Senators Darling and Vos specifically mention Senator Dale Schultz as the one man they are trying to compromise with. You couldn't mistakenly think they were trying to compromise with anyone else at all.

"For the past week, we have been meeting...with State Senator Dale Schultz."

"We have listened to his concerns and responded with a compromise proposal which address many of the concerns we heard from Senator Schultz.

"We hope he takes the time to thoroughly review the measure and that we are able to find common ground."

The Republicans are making no attempt to compromise with Democrats or the public of Wisconsin, just compromise enough to get a bill passed.

The Darling/Vos compromise changes the floodplain exemptions that were mentioned here. Whether the changes still affect flood insurance for Wisconsin citizens is yet to be seen.

The Republicans didn't really yield on anything. Every change appears to be just a slight modification.

Dale, stand by your convictions as you did with the collective bargaining rights-stripping bill.

Update: Dale Schultz has refused the Darling/Vos compromise (JS paywall link). Thank you, Dale Schultz, very much!

His primary concerns are keeping environmental protections and contested case hearings in place, and he says he won't support a bill that removes them.

Mining Bill Could End Flood Insurance for Wisconsinites

The Ashland Daily Press is reporting that the Wisconsin Assembly's mining bill may make it difficult or impossible to receive flood insurance in Wisconsin. Larry Larson of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, Inc. said that passing AB 426 “may have a dramatic negative impact on the ability of Wisconsin’s citizens to be able to buy flood insurance from the National Flood Insurance Program, thus increasing their financial risk as well as jeopardizing their basic life and safety.”

The problem with the industry-crafted bill is that it excludes mining from floodplain regulations. Similar exclusions in other states have jeopardized their ability to receive funds for flood disaster relief and caused them to be "kicked out" of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). FEMA's chief of Floodplain Management says the mining bill is a violation of federal law and could jeopardize Wisconsin's eligibility for NFIP which insures billions of dollars in property value for Wisconsinites.

The compromise bill sponsored by Sen. Bob Jauch (D) and Dale Schultz (R) doesn't exclude mining from floodplain regulations and therefore wouldn't affect eligibility of flood insurance or disaster relief. However, Walker and his allies say they and Gogebic Taconite will walk away from the compromise bill.

How can we come to an agreement if the Republicans refuse to compromise?

Republican: "Uh, what is compromise?"

Person who gets stuff done:
com·pro·mise/ˈkämprəˌmīz/

Noun:	An agreement or a settlement of a dispute that is reached by each side making concessions.
Verb:	Settle a dispute by mutual concession.
Synonyms:	noun. agreement - accommodation - settlement - conciliation verb. come to terms

We Can Stop Wisconsin Republicans' Destructive Mining Bill

Scott Fitzgerald put a big kink in passing a mining bill when he disbanded the mining bill committee Wednesday. The committee was debating a slightly better version of the Assembly bill. Disbanding the committee has shelved any hopes of a better bill than the Assembly's mining bill. However, shutting out debate on the bill will put some Republicans in a tough spot.

Some Republicans have resisted supporting the Assembly's mining bill. Even the Journal Sentinel is against the bill. In particular, Dale Schultz has publicly stated that he cannot vote for the Assembly's bill. That means, without any other Republican defectors, the vote would be 17-16 against the bill.

Any constituent of Dale Schultz should contact him and ask him to reject the Assembly's mining bill or any bill that doesn't receive appropriate public comment.

Scott Fitzgerald says he hasn't counted votes yet, which means he doesn't yet have enough. Disbanding the committee was a horrible strategic mistake without enough votes to pass on his own. You can bet the pressure will be on Schultz to cave into his demands. If Schultz sticks to facts and reason, it'll be a huge blow to Fitzgerald who is facing a recall election later this year.

Given that we won't get a better bill, and the Republicans hope to ram it through, our chance is now to stop the bill. Fitzgerald has cancelled the public hearings in Platteville set for Friday and Ashland, so few opportunities remain.

Jobs

The Republicans are using this bill as their one major jobs plan. Really?! Mining is the future of Wisconsin jobs? This is the best jobs plan they could come up with? You've got to be kidding. The future of Wisconsin jobs is in high-tech, biotech, and high-tech manufacturing, not mining.

We're screwed.