Wisconsin-Report

Wisconsin State Journal: Critics Of The Mine Were “Skeptical, Especially Because Gogebic Taconite’s Parent
Company Has Never Mined Iron” And Its Coal Mining Operations In Southern Illinois “Have Faced Legal
Challenges From Nearby Residents And Environmentalists For Using Techniques That, According To The
Lawsuits, Damage Farmland By Causing It To Subside.” According to the Wisconsin State Journal, “Critics are skeptical,
especially because Gogebic Taconite’s parent company has never mined iron, only coal. And some of the company’s
underground coal mines in southern Illinois have faced legal challenges from nearby residents and environmentalists for using
techniques that, according to the lawsuits, damage farmland by causing it to subside.” [Wisconsin State Journal, 10/9/11]
According To A Public Opinion Survey Conducted By UW-Superior Of Households In Iron And Ashland Counties,
73 Percent Were Of Those Surveyed Were “‘Absolutely Opposed”‘ To A Mine And “‘12 Percent Were ‘Generally
Opposed’ To It.” According to the Capital Times, “There is limited public support for an iron ore mine in northern
Wisconsin and more than half of those surveyed said they were “absolutely not” interested in working there, despite the fact
Republican lawmakers are pushing the mine as a way to boost the economy and bring jobs to Wisconsin. The public opinion
survey, conducted over the summer by UW-Superior Economics Assistant Prof. Zamira Simkins and undergraduate student
Aleksei Bogdanov, included responses from 102 households in Iron and Ashland counties and another 862 respondents who
voluntarily completed the survey online. Of the 102 households surveyed, 44 percent were ‘absolutely opposed’ to a mine and
roughly 18 percent said they were ‘generally opposed’ to it. According to the 862 online respondents, 73 percent were
‘absolutely opposed’ to it and 12 percent were ‘generally opposed’ to it.” [Capital Times, 9/23/13]
KOCH GROUPS HAVE RAILED AGAINST THE EPA IN WISCONSIN
AFP-WI: The EPA’s “One-Size-Fits-All Approach Doesn’t Work”
Wisconsin Director For Americans For Prosperity Eric Bott: “The EPA’s One-Size-Fits-All Approach Doesn’t
Work.” According to the Wisconsin State Journal, “Conservatives said they haven’t seen details of Walker’s plan, but they said
they assumed federal clean air and clean water laws would remain in place and that states would enforce them adequately, but
with greater understanding of local needs. Conservatives said they haven’t seen details of Walker’s plan, but they said they
assumed federal clean air and clean water laws would remain in place and that states would enforce them adequately, but with
greater understanding of local needs. ‘The EPA’s one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work,’ said Eric Bott, Wisconsin director
for Americans for Prosperity, which promotes lower taxes and less government. He also is former environmental director for
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s business lobby.” [Wisconsin State Journal, 7/28/15]
Clean Power Plan
AFP: Walker Deserved “High Praise” For Rejecting The Clean Power Plan And Was “Right To Sue The Federal Government”
Americans For Prosperity State Director Eric Bott Said Governor Walker Deserved High Praise For Rejecting
President Obama’s Clean Power Plan. According to Americans for Prosperity State Director Eric Bott, “Americans for
Prosperity- Wisconsin issued a statement thanking Governor Scott Walker after he issued an executive order that keeps his
state agencies from succumbing to President Obama’s costly, draconian carbon mandates known as the Clean Power Plan.
The group said Governor Walker’s move was in accordance with the Supreme Court’s recent stay and was an effort to fight
for affordable and reliable energy for Wisconsinites rather than runaway electricity and heating bills, which make life less
affordable across the board. ‘Americans for Prosperity – Wisconsin thanks Governor Walker for protecting working families,
the elderly, and Wisconsin’s most vulnerable populations from unaffordable electricity and hikes to home heating rates,’ said
AFP-Wisconsin State Director Eric Bott. ‘On the jobs front, Governor Walker’s action allows Wisconsin manufacturers to
remain competitive nationally and internationally, protecting tens of thousands of family-supporting jobs. The governor
deserves high praise for rejecting President Obama’s energy poverty regulations — they’re simply out of touch with the facts
on the ground in Wisconsin.’” [Eric Bott - Americans for Prosperity, 2/16/16]
AFP-Wisconsin State Director David Fladeboe On Gov. Scott Walker Suing The EPA Over The Clean Power Plan:
“Walker Is Right To Sue The Federal Government.” According to an opinion by Americans for Prosperity Wisconsin
state director David Fladeboe for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “Gov. Scott Walker promised in his ‘state of the state’
address that he would combat Environmental Protection Agency regulations that jeopardize our state’s well-being — and this
week he did exactly that. Walker and Attorney General Brad Schimel are joining 12 other states in suing the EPA over its
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