LETTER: Hope Walker’s true to his word

To the Telegram:

During the last legislative session, Wisconsinites fought hard to ensure the safety of our natural resources as large mining companies sought create an open pit mine in northern Wisconsin. The proposal was eventually struck down because it included language that rolled back several environmental safety standards, something that Wisconsinites clearly oppose.

Recently Gov. Scott Walker went on the record to say he believes with a strong Republican majority in the state senate, a mining bill can finally pass. He also went on to say he will not sign a bill that will have negative impacts on the environment. I commend the governor on saying he will not sign a bill with environmental rollbacks and will be watching closely to make sure he stays true to his word.

Job creation, especially right now, is a great thing; we need to get our economy growing again. But sacrificing our natural resources, beautiful landscapes, and air and water quality in order to create a few hundred short-term jobs is not worth it. Two large pieces of our state economy are tourism and agriculture, both of which rely on a clean environment for growth. I hope Walker stays true to his word about mining, and does not sign a bill that will have major rollbacks to our environmental standards, like the bill from last session.

Julian Holtzman,

Madison

Tags: opinion, letters