Minnesota isn't the only state with an iron range. Gogebic Taconite wants to dig a 4.5 by 1.5 mile open pit mine south of Ashland, Wis. to extract billions of tons of ore. The company this week released its own economic impact study that promises:
- 700 direct mining jobs with an annual average salary estimated at $60,000 plus approximately $20,000 in benefits
- 2,834 total jobs created
- $604 million total annual economic benefit
- $17.15 million total annual state and local tax revenue


The operation will produce taconite for Wisconsin's manufacturing industry for products from cars to appliances, among many others, the company says on its web site.

BusinesNorth.com, a regional business news web site, provides a good perspective on the different view points, environmental and economic. The pit would put the Penokee aquifer and the Bad River water shed at risk, says the No Sulfide Mining group, which is fighting the PolyMet mine in northern Minnesota.

Hull Rust Mahoning Mine in Hibbing, part of the Mesabi Iron Range. Since 1895 more than 1.4 billion tons of earth have been removed on its 2,000 acres of land, and more than 800 million gross tons of iron ore have been shipped
from the mine. Star Tribune photo.

But, according to the story, Matt Dallman, director of the Wisconsin Nature Conservatory, doesn't agree -- yet. He spent ten years studying the ecosystems in around the Chequamegon Bay. The pit would be in the headwaters that flow into the Bad River Indian Reservation, and an unique wetland that is the only place where wild rice now grow on the shores of Lake Superior. It's also a spawning ground for fish. The area touches on 23 different rivers and streams, he said. Still, he's not convinced that mining would damage the environment. The Penokee range has a history of iron mining that goes back to the 1890s, and he said he's found no evidence of environmental damage. He's withholding his opinion until he sees a plan for the project, he said.

The Sierra Club of Wisconsin devotes a chunk of its web site to the issue and its history. It takes a decidedly negative view.