ALEC led WI Assembly seeks reversal of Sacred Republican Principle of Local Control

This is all in the quest for profits in the fraking industry...WI has no natural gas (well technically that depends on how greasy your fries are), but this state's glacial deposits contain a vast treasure of sand perfect for use in fraking...and folks like the Kochs want the profits from that sand.

Unfortunately, the courts here ruled that local zoning and permitting by counties and towns can be used to regulate this type of mining. Rural Wisconsinites, mostly republicans, who live next to the scores of mines that are being opened have concerns about the safety of their water and air, as well as the beating that poor town roads will take under the heavy equipment.

Such impediments cannot be allowed to stand in the way of profits and the legislature is coming to the rescue

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http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/gop-backed-bill-would-limit-local-government-in-regulating-sand-mines-b99122712z1-228260361.html

Madison — Republican lawmakers want to rein in the powers of local governmentsto impose restrictions on the burgeoning sand mining industry.

A proposed bill would prohibit counties and other local governments from placing limits on more than 100 sand mines that have popped up since 2010. The projects are normally the province of the state Department of Natural Resources.

"We're looking for regulatory certainty with this," said Rep. Joan Ballweg (R-Markesan), one of the bill's authors.

The sweeping bill is in part a response to a 2012 state Supreme Court decision that said towns could regulate sand mines using their ordinary police powers, rather than through zoning ordinances. That is a significant shift because many towns do not have zoning authority, and those that do generally need the approval of their county boards to make zoning changes.

The bill by Ballweg and Sen. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) would specify that local governments could regulate sand mines by zoning, but not other means.

The measure would affect counties and all types of municipalities, but would have have the greatest impact on towns. About 240 townships do not currently have zoning authority, and many of those are in western Wisconsin where sand mining has proliferated in recent years, according to the Wisconsin Towns Association.

Read more from Journal Sentinel: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/gop-backed-bill-would-limit-local-government-in-regulating-sand-mines-b99122712z1-228260361.html#ixzz2i4jb8brz
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