Scott Fitzgerald

Can't tell players in mining battle without a scorecard; Who has Big Mo?

September 29, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Scott Fitzgerald blinked, or caved, or whatever you want to call it.

But he has backed off and appointed the three Democrats nominated by Minority Leader Mark Miller to a special State Senate committee on mining.

Fitzgerald had rejected Miller's choices of Tim Carpenter and Jon Erpenbach, but now has named both to the committee, along with Bob Jauch.

Fitzgerald had tried to break long-standing Senate tradition of allowing each party to name its own members, hoping to get a committee that is more pro-mining. But with Republicans holding a 4-3 majority on the committee, it's a pretty safe bet the mining companies will get most if not all of what they want.   Here's the announcement.

Meanwhile, a pro-mining group re-forms, and the Journal Sentinel continues to cover the issue like a sports event and writes about which side has the momentum.

GOP wants to stack mining committee; rejects Dem appointees

September 27, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

Wow. The fix really is in.

Not only will Republicans have a majority on the new mining committee being appointed, but Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald wants to pick the Democratic members, too. WisPolitics.com in its report to subscribers, says Fitzgerald rejected two of Minority Leader Mark Miller’s picks for the Senate’s Select Committee on Mining Jobs.

Miller, D-Monona, said he wanted Bob Jauch of Poplar, Tim Carpenter of Milwaukee and Jon Erpenbach of Middleton on the committee because they represent the region of a planned mine, represent a district with residents involved in the production of mining equipment and have long ties to the environmental community, respectively.

But Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, has final say over committee appointments under Senate rules and instead appointed Jauch and Sen. Jim Holperin, D-Conover, to the committee. ..

“Sen. Kedzie, the committee chair, and the Republicans on the committee are going into this process with the ultimate goal of creating more jobs in Northern Wisconsin, not creating more politics in Madison,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s my expectation that Sen. Jauch and the full membership of the committee will share that goal.”

Open Pit Express is back on the rails; environmentalists are tied to the track

September 23, 2011 by Uppity Wisconsin

The Open Pit Express, sidetracked for the summer, is back on track and beginning to build up a head of steam.

The State Senate has created a new committee with the word jobs in its title -- the Select Committee on Mining Jobs, not the Select Committee on Mining -- and you know what that means. Hang on to your hats, there's a railroad job coming.

So far we only know the Republican members of the committee, because the GOP hasn't decided whether it wants to be able to outvote the Dems 4-2 or 4-3. Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has named four Republicans, and is considering how many seats to give the Dems.

Jim Rowen asks

Why don't they create a Legislative Council Study Committee instead of a Senate members-only body to get input into mining, science, employment and environmental issues?

but the answer is obvious. A committee like that just takes too darned long, and the whole idea is to steamroll streamline the process for approving mines in Wisconsin.