The Rusk and Langlade County boards and a number towns and cities have already voted to support the ban. SB 160 and its Assembly companion bill, AB 95, would prohibit the use of cyanide and cyanide compounds in mining for metallic minerals and in processing metallic ore. Among those supporting the bill is the Forest County Potawatomi Community. The tribe's reservation is just east of the proposed Crandon mine. Mining waste or cyanide spills will poison those waters.
Water is precious - more precious than copper or gold or mining company profits.
The Wisconsin Campaign to Ban Cyanide in Mining is urging its supporters to contact their legislators to support both AB 95 and SB 160 and to request public hearings and votes on both bills. State residents recognize the threat to our drinking water and our fisheries from the use of cyanide in mining. This is a unique opportunity for legislators of both parties to prove their commitment to the environment, which has become a major issue for the next election. Cyanide is used to extract gold and other metals from ore. The Crandon mine, if permitted, would use 200 tons or more of cyanide per year.