Reports on the
Oct. 13, 2001
Capital Rally to Support Cyanide Ban in All WI Mines

(Keshena, WI) - Environmentalists, Conservationists, Sports groups, Fishing Groups, and Indian Nations are pleased with the Wisconsin State Senate's vote today on the passage of SB-160 (Banning Cyanide in Wisconsin Mines) and SB-271 (Equal treatment for mining industry's waste dumps). Today's vote by the Senate is a step forward to decreasing the environmental risks associated with sulfide mining.

Ken Fish, director of the Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts Office stated that he is "pleased with the vote of the Senate, that the majority of the Senate was not swayed by big dollars and short term economics that would leave our state a potential superfund site."

The cyanide ban and the equal treatment bill will now be an issue for the states legislative assembly. We expect these two bills to be coming on the floor in early 2002.

Fish concluded by saying, "cyanide is a poison, very toxic and has the potential to kill all living things, and more than ever we can't lay down on the job because we have to influence the majority of the Assembly to pass these bills to become law."

For more information, please log onto the Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts Office website at http://www.menominee.com/nomining or the Midwest Treaty Network at http://www.treatyland.com, or call 715-799-5620.

Thanks to all who helped plan the Rally to Ban Cyanide in Mining at the Capitol on October 13. Rain kept our numbers down, as it reminded us about the importance of water. But we had a very representative cross-section of our alliance, and substantial media coverage, including TV and the two newspaper reports below.

Before the rally, Tom Soles of Walleyes for Tomorrow (Fond du Lac) circled Farmers' Market with his pontoon boat, festooned with the banner "Ban Cyanide in Wisconsin Mines." Soles has recently narrated a series of radio ads around Wisconsin.

The Mole Lake Drum opened the rally, and Frances Van Zile and Fred Ackley from the Sokaogon Chippewa Community were the first speakers. Dave Blouin of the Mining Impact Coalition and Zoltán Grossman of the Midwest Treaty Network gave an overview of Senate Bill 160/ Assembly Bill 95 to ban cyanide in mining, and responded to company objections. Mark Westfall, president of the Fox Valley Central Labor Council, and Gerry Gunderson of the Committee of Labor Against Sulfide Pollution, presented union resolutions for a ban on cyanide in mining. Kenneth Fish, director of the Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts Office, decribed how foreign mining companies have degraded Wisconsin's democracy. Nicole Lightwine and other students from the Progressive Action Organization offered support from Wisconsin environmental students gathered for a conference at UW-Stevens Point.

After the rally, participants gathered for a feast and a meeting of the Wolf Watershed Educational Project, hosted by Wisconsin's Environmental Decade. They discussed the upcoming vote on Senate Bill 160. Stayed tuned for information on the date of the Senate floor vote. In the meantime, call your Senator and Assembly Representative at 800-362-WISC to support a ban on cyanide use in ALL Wisconsin mines.

See News Articles for reports on the rally.

Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining
P.O. Box 14382, Madison WI 53714
and P.O. Box 124 White Lake WI 54491 USA
Hotline: (800) 445-8615, Tel/Fax: (608) 246-2256
E-mail: mtn@igc.org

For immediate release; Contacts:
George Rock, Trout Unlimited, Wolf River chapter vice-president,
White Lake
715-882-4800

Dave Blouin,
Mining Impact Coalition,
Madison
608-233-8455

Zolt�n Grossman,
Midwest Treaty Network/ Wolf Watershed Education Project
608-246-2256

Kenneth Fish,
Director, Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts,
715-799-5620

A citizens� alliance is launching a new push around Wisconsin by holding a state-wide speaking tour on the controversy surrounding the use of cyanide in mining. The Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining supports a prohibition on the use of cyanide in all Wisconsin mines, including the proposed Crandon zinc-copper mine in Forest Co., which would use as much as 200 tons of sodium cyanide a year, and possible future gold mines in Marathon and Taylor counties. The tour, free & open to the public, will reach more than 25 communities. The Campaign is also planning a statewide rally on Saturday, October 13, on the State Capitol State Street steps, 1:00-2:30 pm (after Farmers' Market).

Senate Bill 160 and Assembly Bill 95 were introduced earlier this year by Sen. Russ Decker and Rep. Spencer Black, and have gained significant support among both Republican and Democratic legislators. The bills state in their entirety: "No person may conduct mining or metallic ore processing using cyanide or a cyanide compound." The Senate Environmental Resources Committee backed the bill in May, and the Senate will vote on it in October. Cyanide in mining has also been banned in Montana, Czech Republic, and in Wisconsin's Vilas and Oneida counties.

Dave Blouin of the Mining Impact Coalition says, "The legislation calls for a ban on the use of this extremely toxic chemical in all Wisconsin mines. The mining industry will try to make exemptions for certain mines, but Wisconsin citizens do not want cyanide trucks on any of our icy roads, or cyanide compounds in any toxic waste dumps." He pointed to a recent poll by the respected Chamberlain Research Consultants, which showed 58 percent support statewide for a ban on cyanide in mining, and 65 percent in Northeastern Wisconsin--the area closest to the proposed Crandon mine site.

Campaign supporters have already gathered over 13,000 signatures on a petition supporting the cyanide ban, and support resolution have been passed by Co. governments (such as Rusk, Langlade, Menominee, Shawano, Waupaca, Brown, Milwaukee, Douglas), at least 18 local governments along the Wolf-Fox waterway, as well as tribes, union locals, central labor councils, environmental groups, and sportfishing groups such as Trout Unlimited. A map of the resolutions, as well as potential cyanide transportation routes to northern mine sites, is at http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanidemap.html

In recent years, the mining industry has caused many significant cyanide spills--leading to massive fish kills-- due to transportation and shipping accidents, waste dump spills and leaks, and pipeline and other mechanical failures. Nicolet Mineral Co., a subsidiary of the Australian/South African mining giant BHP Billiton, says that the Crandon mine uses a different ore processing method than used in many of these ill-fated mines, and so will avoid such problems. Blouin responds, "Most cyanide disasters at mines have not happened during the ore processing, but before the processing in transportation accidents, and after the processing in waste spills and leaks. In addition, the flotation method planned for use at Crandon is far from foolproof, and was associated with at least one cyanide release at a Colorado mine."

Blouin further explained, "Cyanide is not needed for metallic mining. Recent statistics show that 16 of the 18 leading U.S. zinc mines, and 11 of the 15 leading copper mines, did not use cyanide." Responding to mining industry claims that other Wisconsin industries use cyanide, Blouin replied, "Compared to mining, other state industry uses very small amounts of cyanide. The real issue is that the metallic mining industry is exempted from hazardous waste laws that regulate other industries in Wisconsin." National Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) records show that only three state companies had wastes of 500 pounds or more in 1999, with the largest using about 24 tons. The proposed Crandon mine would use up to 200 tons a year.

The mining company also maintains that the concentrations of cyanide in the Crandon mine wastes would be no higher than in road salt or in coffee. George Rock, vice president of Trout Unlimited's Wolf River chapter commented, "Mine waste spills have caused massive fish kills along rivers in the U.S. and around the world. Can the mining company point to a single fish kill caused by a spill of cappuccino? Fish don�t drink coffee, but they are extremely vulnerable to cyanide-laden mine wastes." Zoltan Grossman, of the Wolf Watershed Educational Project, called the company's comparisons "ludicrous." He said, "Even road salt has to be stored in special shelters to prevent leaks. The proposed Crandon mine waste storage area would be much larger-- the largest toxic waste dump in state history--and include more cyanide compounds."

The Campaign called on Wisconsin citizens to take the following steps to support Senate Bill 160/Assembly Bill 95:

1. Call your State Senator and Assembly Representative today (even if you don't know who they are) toll-free at (800) 362-9472, to vote for Senate Bill 160/Assembly Bill 95 prohibiting cyanide use in Wisconsin mines. Also contact Governor Scott McCallum to sign SB-160/ AB-95 without amendments, at (608) 266-1212 or wisgov@mail.state.wi.us . You can write him and your lawmakers at the State Capitol, Madison WI 53702.

2. Contact Assembly Environment Committee Chair Neal Kedzie (R-Elkhorn),to allow AB-95 to move forward to a vote. Call toll-free 888-534-0043 or e-mail Rep.Kedzie@legis.state.wi.us, or write him at the State Capitol.

3. Print out a resolution for your group or local government to pass: http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/wcbcm-prt_res.html.You can also print off a petition at http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/petition.html, and follow links to documentation and articles about the risks of cyanide use in mining. Use this information to write letters to lawmakers and media.

4. A statewide rally for a ban on cyanide in mining is planned for the State Capitol, Saturday, October 13th, 1 pm, at the State Capitol. Please stay tuned to the website and hotline below for information on the rally.

5. For documentation or interviews, e-mail burroak15@aol.com, call 608-233-8455 or 608-246-2256; or log on http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide.html.
For updates, call the toll-free Hotline at (800) 445-8615, or e-mail mtn@igc.org, or write: Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining, P.O. Box 14382, Madison WI 53714 or P.O. Box 124, White Lake WI 54491.

Contacts: Dave Blouin, 608-233-8455, burroak15@aol.com
Zolt�n Grossman, 608-246-2256, mtn@igc.org

Madison, WI -- Senate Bill 160, legislation to ban the use of cyanide in Wisconsin mines, was passed by the Wisconsin Senate Environmental Resources Committee today on a bipartisan 4-to-1 vote. Senators Jim Baumgart (D), Robert Cowles (R), Dave Hanson (D), and Bob Wirch (D) voted today to recommend the bill for passage by the full Senate. SB 160 (the companion to Assembly Bill 95) was a subject of the Senate committee's hearing on May 17.

"The Committee did not accept the misleading statements and half-truths used by Nicolet Minerals Company to fight SB 160," said Dave Blouin, Mining Chair for the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter, "We are convinced that SB 160 is sound public policy that will help safeguard our environment from unsafe mining practices designed to maximize profits for foreign mining companies. Senators Baumgart, Cowles, Hanson and Wirch deserve the sincere gratitude of Wisconsin residents for putting our local tourism economy and environment before mining company profits."

The Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining is stressing the risks of cyanide before, during and after ore processing at mining operations. It says that the transportation of cyanide, before its use in ore processing, carries enormous risks. BHP Billiton's Nicolet Minerals Co. (NMC) would ship between 84 and 240 tons of cyanide to the Crandon proposal each year on state highways, endangering state residents, and fish and other wildlife should a spill occur. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has acknowledged that NMC is not responsible for accidents while extremely hazardous cyanide is transported to the proposed mine.

Research has found that there are no industrial users of cyanide in northern Wisconsin. "Just as people around the country are trying to keep arsenic out of drinking water, people in northern Wisconsin are trying to keep cyanide out of northern watersheds, where this toxic chemical is not yet used in industry." said Zoltan Grossman, co-founder of the Midwest Treaty Network's Wolf Watershed Educational Project.

Wisconsin DNR has identified 111 sites contaminated with cyanide from old coal gassification plants, including the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. "Citizens are now dealing with 111 sites with cyanide contamination from decades ago." said Linda Sturnot, Franklin resident and Vice Chair of the Mining Impact Coalition of Wisconsin, "We do not need to add new industrial users of cyanide."

The Campaign has countered company claims that cyanide would be safe during ore processing, and portrayed as fase NMC's claim that cyanide use in the froth flotation process (to be used at the Crandon site) has never caused environmental degradation. The EPA reported in 1994 that while using the froth flotation process, Asarco's Black Cloud Mine in Colorado consistently exceeded discharge limits for cyanide that was shown to be toxic to aquatic wildlife.

"The Senate Environmental Resources Committee thoughtfully rejected NMC's attempt to run away from modern mining's bad track record." said Blouin, "Does anyone really believe that NMC is somehow immune from the industry's track record of toxic spills, failed waste dumps, human error, and accidents leading to pollution of our air and water?" Research shows that mining causes environmental damage regardless of the ore process used. More than half of the toxic releases involving cyanide at gold mines in Montana between 1982 and 1998 involved the same technologies and methods proposed for the Crandon mine.

The Campaign has placed special emphasis on the fact that mining in Wisconsin is given special treatment by state and federal laws that all other state industry must comply with. Mining here is not subject to federal hazardous waste laws, allowing mining to simply landfill wastes even if cyanide is present. Mining in Wisconsin is also subject to less restrictive groundwater and wetlands standards. Nicolet Minerals' Crandon proposal would use 10 times the amount of cyanide as used by any other state company. "This is a recipe for disaster," said Grossman, "We need SB 160 to ban cyanide use by an industry that would produce far more toxic wastes than any other in the state and incredibly, is subject to fewer environmental restrictions."

The Campaign countered absurd comparisons of small amounts of cyanide in coffee to that of cyanide in mine wastes. Humans can metabolize low levels of cyanide found in some foods. However, fish and other wildlife cannot. The tiniest amount of cyanide is toxic to fish and aquatic life. Cyanide in mining waste ponds has poisoned thousands of bird around the U.S.

The Campaign also opposed the company's categorical dismissal as "irrelevant" recent overseas mining waste spills (such as last year�s cyanide waste spill in Romania). It said that the devastating environmental damages caused by cyanide accidents worldwide illustrate the extreme toxicity of cyanide. NMC's new owners, Billiton and BHP (now merged to form BHP Billiton) have suffered various spills at mining operations in recent years, including more than 14,000 pounds of sulfuric acid spilled at an Arizona mine in 1998. On May 18, Australian protesters carried signs opposing the Crandon proposal outside a BHP shareholder's meeting in Melbourne.

"NMC has claimed that the bill to ban cyanide in mining amounts to 'legislative harassment'," Blouin replied, "It is legislation crafted to protect the lakes, streams and rivers of Wisconsin from the serious risk of cyanide contamination. The people of Wisconsin know that there is no safe level of cyanide and have a right to see that it never be used northern Wisconsin."

More than 20 local governments and 12,000 Wisconsin citizens have signed on to effort to ban cyanide in mining. For more information, call the Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining toll-free at 800-445-8615 or log on to http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide.html

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Contact your State Senator (if you don't know who s/he is) toll-free at (800) 362-9472, or call or e-mail your Senator (for SB 160) and Assembly Representative (for AB 95), using the toll-free phone and e-mail list at http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/wileg.html

NEW PRINTABLE DOCUMENTS:

• Talking Points on Cyanide in Mining (answering company claims that cyanide use at the Crandon mine would be safe) http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/points.html
• Print out the leaflet on cyanide in mining http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide_leaflet.html
• Print out the petition to ban cyanide at WI mines http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/petition.html
• Map of Possible Cyanide Routes to Wisconsin Mines http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanidemap.html

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS:

These are the other pages on the Wisconsin cyanide ban bill (SB160/AB95). Printing them all out (at 90%) produces a ~50-page guide on cyanide in mining:

• Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining (main page of legislation, articles, resolutions, etc.) http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide.html
• News articles on Wisconsin bill to ban cyanide in mining ttp://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide_news.html
• Background on cyanide at the Crandon mine, WI (technical documents, DNR assessments, etc.) http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide2.html
• Background on cyanide in other U.S. mines (accidents, referenda, etc.) http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide-usa.html
• Background on cyanide in foreign mines (accidents, movements, etc.) http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/cyanide3.html

News From The Sierra Club - John Muir Chapter

Madison Mines are successfully using alternatives to cyanide in the same ore processing system as proposed for the Crandon mine, according to mining industry information on Canadian mines.

"The use of cyanide is not only unsafe, it is unnecessary," said Dave Blouin, Sierra Club spokesperson. "Mines with essentially the same flotation process as proposed at Crandon are using alternatives to cyanide that are less toxic and cheaper."

At least three mines in Canada are processing or have processed copper/zinc/lead/pyrite ores, as the proposed Crandon mine plans to, without using cyanide, according to Canadian Milling Practice. Two of the mines, which are owned by Noranda, currently use sulfur dioxide and starch for the same purpose as Crandon mine owner proposes to use cyanide. Sulfur dioxide and starch are less toxic and cost less than cyanide.

"The fact that two of the mines not using cyanide are operated by Noranda is significant," said Blouin. "Noranda has a reputation for being a cost-conscious operator."

"The Department of Natural Resources testified in May that it is neutral on the bill to ban cyanide in mining, said Dave Blouin. "However, the DNR public comments since then have been anything but neutral. It is inappropriate and misleading to say there are no good alternatives to cyanide when we know there are mines successfully using alternatives." Blouin's comment referred to statements in the Oct. 28, 2001 Green Bay Press Gazette by Larry Lynch. Lynch and other Wisconsin DNR staff have said alternatives to cyanide do not work well when using flotation processing and that a ban on cyanide could kill the mine.

• Noranda, Inc., Brunswick Mine, Bathurst, New Brunswick, Canada
• Noranda, Inc., Heath Steele Mine, Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada
• Boliden Westmin Ltd., Myra Falls Concentrator, Myra Falls, British Columbia, Canada

Contacts:
Dave Blouin, Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter 608/233-8455 burroak15@aol.com
Zoltan Grossman, Midwest Treaty Network/ Wolf Watershed Education Project, 608-246-2256 mtn@igc.org
Bill McClenahan, Martin Schreiber & Associates, 608/259-1212 ext. 4
Tom Wilson, Wisconsin Stewardship Network, 608/637-3356

Wisconsin environmental and conservation groups today applauded the introduction of a bill banning the use of cyanide in mining. Senate Bill 160, was introduced in the state Senate by Sen. Russ Decker (D-Schofield).

"Cyanide is an incredibly toxic chemical, especially for fish," said Tom Wilson from the Wisconsin Stewardship Network. "Many rivers in the U.S. and around the world have been poisoned by cyanide from mine sites and transportation of cyanide to mines. Wisconsin cannot take that chance, especially when the Crandon mine is proposed near the headwaters of the Wolf River."

"We appreciate Sen. Decker's work on behalf of SB 160 and his continued efforts to safeguard Wisconsin's environment from unsafe mining practices," said Dave Blouin, vice chairman of the state Sierra Club. "SB 160 clearly has strong statewide support; the conservation congress voted more than 10 to 1 in favor of the cyanide ban for mining at its April hearings. The Rusk and Langlade Co. boards and a number towns and cities have already voted to support the ban. More than 11,000 residents have signed petitions supporting the cyanide ban."

SB 160 will be the subject of a public hearing by the Senate Committee on Environmental Resources, chaired by state Sen. Jim Baumgart (D-Sheboygan), a cosponsor of the bill. SB 160 and its Assembly companion bill, AB 95, would prohibit the use of cyanide and cyanide compounds in mining for metallic minerals and in processing metallic ore.

Among those supporting the bill is the Forest Co. Potawatomi Community. The tribe's reservation is just east of the proposed Crandon mine. Tribal Chairman Harold "Gus" Frank said, "For generations, our people have depended on the waters and fish of Wisconsin. Mining waste or cyanide spills will poison those waters. Water is precious - more precious than copper or gold or mining company profits."

The Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining is urging its supporters to contact their legislators to support both AB 95 and SB 160 and to request public hearings and votes on both bills.

"Cyanide in mining has become to environmental politics in Wisconsin what arsenic in drinking water has become to the country as a whole," said Zoltan Grossman of the Midwest Treaty Network's Wolf Watershed Education Project. "State residents recognize the threat to our drinking water and our fisheries from the use of cyanide in mining. This is a unique opportunity for legislators of both parties to prove their commitment to the environment, which has become a major issue for the next election."

SB 160/AB 95 would ban cyanide use in all Wisconsin mining, including the proposed Crandon mine and possible future gold mines. Cyanide is used to extract gold and other metals from ore.

The Crandon mine, if permitted, would use 200 tons or more of cyanide per year. The mine site is in a wetlands area surrounded by lakes and streams that feed into the pristine wolf river. According to Blouin, as little as a teaspoon of 2% cyanide can kill a human, and much smaller amounts are toxic to fish. The Nicolet Minerals Company claims that the vat flotation process it plans at the Crandon mine is safer than the heap leach process associated with many cyanide disasters. Blouin responded that whatever process the company uses on site, many tons of cyanide will be trucked to the mine, and need to be disposed on the site after use. He added that the company currently has no proposal to deal with the leftover cyanide.

In 1999, voters in the state of Montana passed a law restricting the use of cyanide in mining. Voters acted after the state suffered scores of accidents, unauthorized discharges, and leaks and spills of mine wastes that involved millions of gallons of cyanide contaminated wastes. In recent years, the mining industry has been associated with many more cyanide disasters than any other industry, including many significant cyanide spills due to transportation and shipping accidents, waste dump spills and leaks, and pipeline and other mechanical failures.

On January 30, 2000, Australian mining company Esmeralda spilled 3.5 million cubic feet of cyanide contaminated and heavy metal-laden wastewater into Romanian rivers. The pollution flowed through Hungary to Yugoslavia and on into the Danube, killing all aquatic life in a 250-mile stretch of the river system. Four weeks after the spill, the cyanide plume was measurable in the Danube delta of the Black Sea, more than 2,500 miles downstream from the spill. More than 1,200 tons of fish were estimated to have perished. In July last year, the Hungarian government sued Esmeralda for damages of $107 million. In response to the spill, the Czech Republic passed legislation banning the use of cyanide for mining.

Monday, January 29, 2001

HOW YOU CAN HELP at bottom of article.

Contacts:
•  Assembly Representative Spencer Black, 608-266-7521
•  Caryl Terrell, Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter, Madison 608-256-0565
•  Kenneth Fish, Director, Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts,
   Keshena 715-799-5620
•  Tom Soles, Executive Director, Walleyes For Tomorrow, Fond du Lac 920-579-7911
•  Zoltan Grossman, Midwest Treaty Network/ Wolf Watershed Education Project,
   Madison 608-246-2256 mtn@igc.org
•  Dave Blouin, Mining Impact Coaltion 608-233-8455 burroak15@aol.com

Madison, WI --Representatives from several statewide organizations today marked the first anniversary of the horrific mining waste spill in Romania last year, by calling for support for strict legislation that would ban all uses of cyanide in Wisconsin mining. The most recent proposal to mine in Wisconsin, the Crandon proposal, would use as much as 200 tons of cyanide annually.

The legislation states in its entirety: "No person may conduct mining or metallic ore processing using cyanide or a cyanide compound." The Assembly Bill will have a number later this week. Proponents of the legislation already 10,000 signatures on a petition supporting the cyanide prohibition.

In 1999, voters in the state of Montana passed a new law prohibiting cyanide heap and vat leaching after suffering scores of mine waste spills and leaks, unauthorized discharges, and accidents involving millions of gallons of cyanide contaminated wastes. The owner of the proposed Crandon mine, the London-based South African company Billiton, has plans to truck in as much as 200 tons or more of cyanide annually to process ore. In recent years, the mining industry has caused many significant cyanide spills due to transportation and shipping accidents, waste dump spills and leaks, and pipeline and other mechanical failures.

This new bill will address all possible avenues for cyanide contamination by banning all uses in mining. (Cyanide-based mining has also been banned in the Czech Republic, and in Wisconsin's Vilas and Oneida counties.)

On January 30, 2000, Australian mining company Esmeralda spilled 3.5 million cubic feet of cyanide contaminated and heavy metal-laden waste water into Romanian rivers. The pollution flowed through Hungary's Tisza River to Yugoslavia and on into the Danube, killing all aquatic life in a 250-mile stretch of the river system. Four weeks after the spill, the cyanide plume was measurable in the Danube delta of the Black Sea, more than 2,500 miles downstream from the spill. More than 1,200 tons of fish were estimated to have perished. In July last year, the Hungarian government sued Esmeralda for damages in the amount of $107 million.

State Rep. Spencer Black, author of the Bill to Ban Cyanide in Wisconsin Mines, said, "The residents of Wisconsin were not convinced by mining company promises that new technology would allow them to mine safely when, three years ago they supported my efforts to pass the mining moratorium bill. Sadly, the residents of Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary learned their lesson the hard way."

Rep. Black continued, "Because of the dangers of cyanide, and the disasters seen across the world, I have introduced a bill in the legislature to ban the use of cyanide in mining operations in Wisconsin. My bill would prevent a disaster such as the recent disaster in Romania and others that have been seen across the country. My goal is to seek passage of the cyanide ban this legislative session. The state of Montana has already adopted a similar law after suffering from widespread environmental damage from mining operations using cyanide."

Caryl Terrell, Legislative Coordinator for the Sierra Club-John Muir Chapter said, "Our rivers, streams, groundwater, and wetlands deserve strong protection, but current state law does not prohibit unsafe mining practices such as cyanide heap leaching that have caused huge problems throughout our western states and around the world. We are very pleased to see strict language in the bill that will ban the use of cyanide in Wisconsin mining and help us avoid the environmental damages others have been forced to suffer."

Tom Soles, Executive Director of Walleyes For Tomorrow said, "Cyanide is simply too dangerous to be used at mines where it can get into streams and rivers. Fish are killed when they come into contact with incredibly small amounts of cyanide, in the parts per billion range. We can�t afford to take chances with the Wolf River fisher or any of our resources by allowing cyanide to be used here."

Ken Fish, Director of the Menominee Treaty Rights and Mining Impacts Office said, "It's easy to wake up and smell the coffee. Citizens need to wake up and understand and realize the use of cyanide in mining has been internationally proven to be dangerous to the health, safety, and welfare of humans and the environment. Policy makers and Lawmakers and their enforcers, need to wake up and smell the coffee and do their JOB in protecting Humans and Natural Resources from uses of various chemicals at sulfide mine sites."

Zoltan Grossman of the Midwest Treaty Network's Wolf Watershed Educational Project said, "Cyanide has already proven its danger, even beyond last year�s Romanian mine disaster. The Summitville mine disaster destroyed a river in Colorado, during the watch of our new Interior Secretary Gale Norton. The Wisconsin Energy cyanide disaster contaminated part of West Allis. What more do we need? Wisconsin wants to have the strongest mining laws in the nation, but we are behind others on banning cyanide."

The United Nations Environmental Program published a report detailing the damages caused by the Baia Mare spill in March 2000. �The report and other information about the disaster are available at: http://www.natural-resources.org/environment/baiamare. �
Additional background info on cyanide use in mining can be found in Background Articles on Cyanide in Mining: in Wisconsin, Unites States, and Outside the U.S.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Call your Assembly Representative and State Senator today (even if you don't know who they are) toll-free at (800) 362-9472, to vote for the Bill to Ban Cyanide in Wisconsin Mines.

2. Contact Governor Scott McCallum to sign the cyanide ban bill, at (608) 266-1212 or wisgov@mail.state.wi.us.Write him and your two representatives separately at the State Capitol, Madison WI 53702. (If you are from outside Wisconsin, emphasize how you enjoy visiting the clean Wolf River and other state rivers.)

3. Get your Co. and local governments to pass an anti-cyanide resolution, which you can print out.

4. If you wish to receive alerts on the cyanide prohibition bill, send your e-mail address to mtn@igc.org, or write: Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining, c/o Midwest Treaty Network, P.O. Box 14382, Madison, WI 53714-4382 USA.

5. Write letters to newspapers and call radio talk shows about protecting Wisconsin's rivers and roadways from 200 tons of cyanide shipments a year to the Crandon zinc-copper-gold mine, and the certain use of cyanide in any future proposed Wisconsin gold mines.

6. Print out a petition to circulate at http://treaty.indigneousnative.org/petition.html and please send it in soon!

7. For updates on the bill number and progress call the toll-free Hotline at (800) 445-8615, and log on the Midwest Treaty Network website at http://www.treatyland.com

8. Have your group join the Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining. Simply send an e-mail endorsement to mtn@igc.org.

9. Contact Assembly Committee on the Environment Chairman Neal Kedzie to back AB 95/SB 160 Rep.Kedzie@legis.state.wi.us 888-534-0043

10. We are at a critical point on Assembly Bill 95/Senate Bill 160, to ban cyanide in mining. The bill is in the Assembly Environment Committee chaired by Neal Kedzie (R-Elkhorn).

Co-sponsors of cyanide prohibition bill, as of April, 2001:
ASSEMBLY (AB-95) Black, Balow, Berceau, Bock, Carpenter, Cullen, Huber, LaFave, Lassa, Lehman (J.), Miller, Plouff, Pocan, Richards, Young, Morris-Tatum, Reynolds, Sherman, Turner, Staskunas, Krawczyk
SENATE (SB-160) Decker, Baumgart, Burke, Risser, Hansen, George

Assembly Bill 95 is being submitted by Rep. Spencer Black to the Assembly Committee on the Environment (Neal Kedzie, Chair).
Senate Bill 160 is being referred by Sen. Russ Decker to the Senate Committee on Environmental Resources (Jim Baumgart, Chair).

 

Section B Definition # 13.
Oneida Co. defines "solution mining" as "means the extraction of ore by the use of chemical reagents, including but not limited to cyanide heap leaching, vat leach mining or in situ leach mining technologies."

Section C
2. Prohibitions
d. "The following types of metallic mineral mining and prospecting activities or operations are prohibited:

1. The process of solution mining
2. Smelting or refining
3. Disposal of mining wastes at a prospecting or mining site in this Co. from a prospecting or mining site outside of the Co.."

(1) Solution mining is prohibited. The process includes but is not limited to cyanide heap leach or vat leach mining, or leach mining with other toxic chemicals.