With the mining bill stalled in the Legislature, Gogebic Taconite is abandoning plans for an iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin.
In a statement, Gogebic Taconite President Bill Williams says the Senate’s rejection of mining reforms on Tuesday sends a clear message that Wisconsin will not welcome iron mining. As a result, Williams says the company is ending plans to invest in a Wisconsin mine.
The company had been looking at a site in Iron and Ashland Counties for an open pit mining operation. However, Gogebic raised concerns about the approval process for the project, arguing it was too open-ended to justify the investment.
Lawmakers have been working for months to pass a bill that would address those issues, but a battle over relaxing environmental regulations has held up its passage.
