In letter to Hulsey, FEMA says mining bill threatens flood insurance
From an article by Ron Seely in the Capital Times:
A provision in the Assembly mine permitting bill being considered in the state Legislature Thursday could jeopardize the state's access to federal flood insurance, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
In a letter to state Rep. Brett Hulsey, D-Madison, who requested comment from the federal agency, the chief of FEMA's floodplain management branch said part of the Assembly bill that exempts mines from floodplain ordinances could prompt the agency to "seek enforcement of requirements that include suspension from the program."
Hulsey said Wisconsin property owners hold about 18,000 federal flood insurance policies through the National Flood Insurance Program representing about $3.1 billion in coverage.
Honor King with a stand for voting rights
From an editorial in The Capital Times:
State Sen. Lena Taylor and state Reps. Mark Pocan and Brett Hulsey have honored the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. well by organizing Wisconsin legislators to send a letter that asks U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to review the state’s voter suppression law.
Holder and the U.S. Department of Justice are reviewing voter suppression laws that have been adopted by Republican governors and legislatures in a number of states, out of concern that these laws will make it more difficult for members of historically disenfranchised minority communities as well as seniors, students and the poor to vote. . . .
As Hulsey says: “It is a sad day for Wisconsin when we have to ask for federal help to protect our citizens’ right to vote.”
But the legislators are right to request that Holder intervene.
Yes to an iron ore mine; no to a bad Assembly bill
From an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 17, 2011:
The state Senate should hit reset on this legislation and correct the Assembly's errors.
There's no question that an iron mine proposed for Iron and Ashland counties would provide desperately needed family-supporting jobs for a part of the state that has long been suffering from a lack of them. There's no question that such a mine also would provide a boost to southeastern Wisconsin, where mining equipment is made, and the rest of the state's economy.
And there is no question that the Assembly bill introduced last week to make it easier to permit such a mine is a travesty of legislation that will significantly weaken environmental protections and reduce citizen participation in the permitting process. It's almost as if children had replaced Republican legislators and had dared each other to see just how outrageous they could make this bill.
Examples of what's in the legislation . . . .
It removes the current contested case hearings process, which gives citizens an opportunity to challenge data and question mining officials. State Rep. Brett Hulsey calls this the "full employment for lawyers" provision of the bill because it practically guarantees more court challenges.
