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State Sen. Tom Tiffany, (R-Wis.), on efforts to make it easier to receive permits for iron-ore mines in the state to boost job creation.
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Towards more mining in Wisconsin the state is hammering out final details of the bill to clear the way for iron ore mines the planned.
Is to make it easier for companies to get permits on wetlands all to Bruce Johnson manufacturing which our economy desperately needs.
But a report says the price of iron ore.
Will plummet by 50% in the next year because of oversupply in the market actually later this is the right industry at the right time.
The man behind.
The bill is Republican state senator Tom Tiffany and he joins me now.
I'll see what how fat ass -- that -- -- really worrisome the idea that prices could fall by 50%.
Because of the supply and we've certainly seen that would natural gas.
Sure.
We pass this bill -- for the future and certainly.
Commodity prices have their peaks and valleys.
And -- but over time we think this is going to be a very good enterprise to have here in the state of Wisconsin our neighbors to the east and west Michigan and Minnesota.
Have had robust iron ore mining industries.
All over the past decades and we think we can do the same in Wisconsin.
-- -- mean have you made a plan and you run the numbers based on the possibility of back kind of decline in prices since that is really precisely what has happened with us.
Tremendous a lot of natural gas that we've seen on the market due to fracking which has created -- -- of jobs.
But at the same time we've seen a lot of producers back off because prices did also rapidly.
Yet what we think that.
We're gonna have the low cost producer here if -- to get this -- -- which should take about three to three and a half years if we're able to get this bill to the governor's desk next week.
Take about three to three and a half years and now but we do think we'll have the low cost producer here in the great lake states if were able to get this mine permit it.
Now of course it is -- -- speaking of getting this permits not surprisingly environmentalists are not excited about this they claim.
-- over 900 million tons of waste and tailings will be dumped in the wetlands and streams of the -- river watershed that produce the same acid mine drainage.
That has resulted in fish advisories for Mercury and wild rice dead zone for hundred miles downstream.
In Minnesota that's a claim that they put everywhere I'm sure that you party responded to what do you sag.
Yeah I term this -- 21 century iron ore mining bill.
What -- reflex is our current environmental standards which are very high in the state of Wisconsin and their contained in this bill.
Those metrics those numbers that com companies have to meet in order to get permits in Wisconsin.
They do not change at all and so we believe -- we have Wisconsin's high environmental standards in the bill.
And gives us an opportunity to have an investor who will invest a billion and a half dollars -- it's rare Melissa for a state.
To have a company that'll come in and invest a billion and a half dollars in a single project.
And that's the opportunity we have here in the state of Wisconsin and we think were ready to tackle that how many jobs is -- create what's the boost the economy.
I'm into the construction phase which take about two years there be about 2000 jobs that would be created.
And then after that -- 700 jobs that are projected to be created directly in the mine site and then about 2000 ancillary jobs to those 700 jobs that are at at the mine site so literally thousands of jobs.
And some of those jobs be created immediately after if we get this bill passed this week -- to the governor's desk for his signature.
-- most jobs get created immediately.
As a result of the permitting process there's a thorough environmental review that has to be done.
Jobs be created immediately and then.
-- hundreds if not thousands as we if we get a permit issued for this project.
It of course obviously you heard about the new EPA administrator at that was put forth today Gina McCarthy and she has -- very tough record.
Having -- inside the department in the last administration.
I'm she is -- ushered through countless rules.
On Mercury and on site related to power plants very top environmental heading to does that change in leader plans is give -- -- -- Or doesn't change our plans we understand -- -- you PA hit.
Or certainly did BP's been very obstructionists I mean.
I live in an area that burns a lot of coal and our -- paper industry and you saw what happened with boiler Mac and other rules.
Which have are being that are very harmful.
To the paper industry especially especially those that burn coal -- were very concerned but at some point.
I believe that people in this country are going to say we want jobs we want economic development and we can do that and have a clean environment -- are not mutually exclusive that's really been the debate over this bill.
A lot of people are portrayed it jobs vs the economy I believe they're not mutually exclusive that they can work together -- so much for -- -- Great to be here coming up.
