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Theodore Roosevelt

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Thursday, Oct. 24, at 12 noon, Wisconsin citizens will rally on the State Street Steps outside the State Capitol

Dozens of Groups to Rally for Local Control at State Capitol

MADISON--On Thursday, Oct. 24, at 12 noon, Wisconsin citizens will rally on the State Street Steps outside the State Capitol in response to the unprecedented attack on local democracy launched by Sen. Tom Tiffany on behalf of the frac sand mining industry. 

Last week, Tiffany made public SB 349, a draft bill that would strip local governments of the power to protect air and water quality, prevent unsafe blasting, and recoup costs to taxpayers from damage done to local roadways by heavy truck traffic from frac sand mining operations. While aimed squarely at communities experiencing the consequences of the uncontrolled boom in frac sand mining, the law impacts counties, townships, and municipalities throughout Wisconsin. It would prevent local governments anywhere from instituting environmental and public health protections beyond what the state is able or willing to enforce, such as efforts of communities threatened by the proposed G-Tac 
open pit iron mine to prevent blasting in asbestos-laden bedrock.

"This bill has the effect of regarding residents in our townships across the whole state as simply  collateral damage that is 'necessary' for industry development and profits," said UW-Eau Claire Professor Emeritus Ron Koshoshek, who lives near Chippewa Falls.

The Senate committee on Workforce Development, Forestry, Mining, and Revenue will hold a public hearing on the bill starting at 9:30 am on Thursday. A citizen lobby day against the bill is also being planned.

The noon rally is being sponsored by the following groups and individuals:

  1. Madison Action for Mining Alternatives
  2. Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice
  3. Wisconsin Grassroots Network
  4. Save the Hills Alliance, Inc.
  5. Family Farm Defenders
  6. Preserve Trempealeau County
  7. Save Our Town Whitehall
  8. Town of Lincoln Concerned Citizens
  9. Wisconsin Resources Protection Council
  10. SOUL of Wisconsin
  11. Midwest Environmental Advocates
  12. Crawford Stewardship Project
  13. Sustain Rural Wisconsin Network
  14. People Empowered Protect the Land (PEPL) of Rosendale
  15. Kewaunee CARES
  16. Reedsburg Area Concerned Citizens
  17. Southwest Wisconsin Area Progressives
  18. Frac Sand Sentinel
  19. Concerned Chippewa Citizens
  20. Kate Rice
  21. Monroe County Sand Mines
  22. Houston County Protectors (Houston, MN)
  23. Maiden Rock Concerned Citizens
  24. Sierra Club
  25. Loyalty to Our Land
  26. Buffalo County Defenders
  27. Hale No to Frac Sand Mining in Western WI
  28. Physicians and Health Care Providers of the Chippewa Valley
  29. Juneau Action Group
  30. Preserve Waupaca County
  31. Allamakee County Protectors Education Campaign
  32. Save-The-Bluffs-Goodhue County, Minnesota
  33. Frac Sand Industry Awareness in Wisconsin-Facebook
  34. Concerned Citizens of Dovre
  35. James J. Drost, BS, MS-Mining and Metallurgical Engineering, University of WI-Madison
  36. John Drost, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus-Mathematics-University of WI-Eau Claire
  37. Mississippi River Water Walk
  38. Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition-West Virginia
  39. Echo Valley Hope
  40. Friends of Wabasha-Wabasha, Minnesota
  41. Citizens Against Silica Mining (CASM)-Winona, Minnesota
  42. Citizens for Responsible Land Use
  43. David F. Slottje, Executive Director, Community Environmental Defense Council, Inc.. Ithaca, NY
  44. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
  45. Citizens for Safe Water Around Badger (CSWAB)
  46. Friends of the Lower Wisconsin River
  47. Solidarity Singalong
  48. Raging Grannies
  49. Madison Infoshop
  50. Jackson County Citizen Voices
  51. Albion's 5th Generation
  52. ACTNOW
  53. Lookout for Buffalo County
  54. Community Rights Alliance of Winneshiek County  (Iowa)
  55. Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups
  56. Rye House, Minneapolis
  57. Land Stewardship Project-Minnesota
  58. Wisconsin  Wave
  59. Food & Water Watch
    60.
  60. Midwest Coalition Against Lethal Mining

WHAT: Rally to Stop the Frac Attack Power Grab
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 24, 12 noon
WHERE: State Street side of the Wisconsin State Capitol, Madison
CONTACT: Carl Sack, carl@wnpj.org, (608) 712-8335 or Kimberlee Wright, 608-251-5047, ext. 4, kwright@midwestadvocates.org
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