To the editor:
Tom Tiffany’s recent mocking of Mary Burke’s stance on the mine requires rebuttal. Tiffany touts the mine as northern Wisconsin’s economic salvation, but we are concerned it could just as easily become an environmental disaster.
The site is not in Tiffany’s district. Why is he so enthusiastically shilling for GTAC, the mining company? He certainly doesn’t represent a majority of people who live there. Opposition has been widespread and fierce.
Tiffany writes as if miners still use picks and shovels to dig deep tunnels and haul out iron ore in wheelbarrows. Has he visited or seen pictures of devastation caused by the kind of mining GTAC does? Tiffany’s claim that the mine will produce “thousands of jobs” is ludicrous. A few hundred, say experts, and most will go to out-of-state GTAC employees with the skills to do such work.
Interesting note (Maplight): Tiffany’s has raked in $337,000 in campaign contributions, including manufacturing ($24,400), building equipment/supplies ($21,295), road construction ($15,200), real estate ($14,070), insurance ($10,950), banking ($11,200).
Why would special interests donate $100,000 to a state senatorial candidate? We offer only one reason: They will profit mightily from legislation Tiffany authors and supports on their behalf.
We applaud Mary Burke for her wisdom in slowing down the process that Walker, Tiffany and their Republicans cronies have recklessly tried to fast-track. She wants to ensure the mine won’t cause a catastrophe, such as happened in Seville, Spain, a GTAC project also headed by Bill Williams, GTAC’s president, who has been indicted there.
Barb and Joe Ouellette,
Townsend
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