Number
001592
Version
ORIGINAL
Reference
Sponsor
ALD. PRATT
Title
Resolution supporting a prohibition on the use of cyanide in Wisconsin mines.
Analysis
This resolution expresses the City's opposition to the use of sodium cyanide in mining operations and urges the passage of state legislation prohibiting its use throughout the State of Wisconsin.
Body
Whereas, Mining companies are increasingly using cyanide to extract gold, silver, copper, zinc and other metals from metallic ore; and
Whereas, The Nicolet Mining Company (NMC) is proposing an underground mine in Forest County, which lies partly within the Town of Nashville, to extract zinc, copper, silver and gold from metallic sulfide deposits; and
Whereas, NMC's proposed zinc-copper mine would use as much as 18 to 20 tons of sodium cyanide each month during its operations and Wisconsin is known to contain other gold deposits that would likely require cyanide for processing; and
Whereas, Cyanide poses a serious environmental risk – from transportation on our roadways, from storage and use at NMC's proposed mine site and from residuals disposed in waste dumps; and
Whereas, Cyanide is highly toxic, with tiny traces fatal to human beings, fish and wildlife, and acts as a powerful solvent that can release other toxins; and
Whereas, Cyanide has been the cause of recent environmental disasters at U.S. mines in Nevada, Montana, Idaho, California, South Dakota and South Carolina and at many foreign mines, such as Romania, Guyana, Canada, Krygyzstan and Papua, New Guinea, resulting in massive fish kills and contaminated drinking water; and
Whereas, In 1998, Montana voters banned cyanide for mining and a similar ban has been passed by the Czech Republic; and
Whereas, Wisconsin must have the strongest mining laws in the nation in order to protect our abundance of clean water; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee that the city sup...
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