Why Mine At All?

Since Gogebic Taconite first announced its intentions last January to mine iron ore in the Penokee Hills of northern Wisconsin, the majority of the focus has been placed on the particulars of Wisconsin’s mine permitting process. Republicans want to ” streamline” the process while  democrats want to preserve environmental protections and the public interest as they proclaim that they’re not against mining. To my knowledge there hasn’t been a single sitting democratic legislator who’s had the nerve to question whether the mine project should go forward at all. Only former Democratic State Senator Kevin Shibilski, author of Wisconsin’s Mining Moratorium law, has stated publicly that we should not mine iron ore in the Penokee Hills, having said that at a Sawyer County Democratic Party meeting last September.

But consider these words:

Yet the cause of America can still be found in the global challenge of our age. That challenge is “global unsustainability.” Humans are consuming at a rate that requires 1.5 planets worth of resources, essentially depleting the ecological support system needed for future generations. And we still need to fold an additional 2 billion people into the global system by the middle of this century, not to mention a burgeoning global middle class seeking the economic, political and social inclusion best exemplified by the American Dream.

The cause of America is not to turn our backs on this reality. Our cause is to figure out a more sustainable way forward and lead the rest of the world in that direction.

To do so, we need to get on with the hard work of fixing ourselves instead of squandering precious time on ideological nonsense and ineffectual dithering. We need to embrace sustainability as our national strategic imperative and reinvigorate our national strength through investments in education, infrastructure, regenerative agriculture, new urban design and renewable resources (to name but a few).

Who do you suppose wrote those words? A leader from one of Wisconsin’s northern Tribes? The Executive Director of Clean Water Action or the Midwest Renewable Energy Association?

None of the above. It’s the writing of Colonel Mark Mykleby, USMC ( Ret.), a former strategic advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He’s a former Marine Colonel, using the words “sustainability” and ” global unsustainability”.

So where does the proposed Penokee Hills mine project fit within the context of this thinking? Does it represent the kind of sustainability Colonel Mykleby writes about, or is it more along the lines of global unsustainability? Is digging 2.2 billion tons of ore out of the ground while putting the largest body of fresh water in the world, Lake Superior, at risk, sustainability?

Shouldn’t this question at least be a part of the debate? Isn’t there a democratic legislator anywhere in Wisconsin with the courage to ask this question out loud?