Madison -
The mining bill is being met with major opposition from members of Wisconsin's Native American community, especially the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Indians. Their reservation is located in an area within both Ashland and Iron counties, near where the proposed mine would be built.
While state assembly leaders were debating the bill inside the Capitol today, members of Wisconsin's Native American community stood side by side in a show of solidarity against the bill. It was all part of a news conference organized by leaders of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior. The tribe compares the passage of the mining bill to genocide because of what it feels would be the detrimental environmental effects of the mine on its people.
Mike Wiggins, Chairman of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior says, "We are talking about our home. When we look at our history, our tie to northern Wisconsin, our small reservation that essentially compromises our sovereign status and exterior boundaries of our home, we have nowhere to run, nowhere to relocate to if ground water contamination occurs or heavy metals and other toxicity comes down our waterways."
Tribal leaders says they're realistic and they know that by voicing their concerns they won't be able to stop the passage of the mining bill, but they're also optimistic and say they'll fight it until the bitter end.
According to Wiggins, "We are going to stand ready with delegated authority, science, lawyers and all of our resources that are available to prevent a mine in the Bad River watershed because of what it represents in the form of genocide and catastrophic destruction of our ecosystem that we depend on."
