Wisconsin committee to head north to talk mining

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Assembly’s jobs committee plans to hold a hearing in Hurley next week to gather information about a possible iron mine in far northern Wisconsin.

The committee plans to convene Thursday at the Hurley School District’s auditorium. Local government officials, tribal representatives and the general public will get a chance to speak on mining company Gogebic Taconite’s proposal to extract millions of tons of iron ore from the Penokee Range.

The company has promised the mine will create hundreds of jobs. Conservationists fear it will pollute the pristine region.

Gogebic Taconite’s plans are currently on hold. Company officials want legislators to streamline the state’s permit process before they go any further. The state Senate has created a special mining committee, but no proposals have emerged yet.