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. 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