Tribes won’t appoint mining board member

ASHLAND, Wis. (AP) – Wisconsin’s 11 American Indian tribes won’t appoint a representative to a state mining board.

The seven-member Mining Investment and Local Impact Fund Board has representatives from the mining area, including Iron, Forest and Bayfield counties. Members will decide how local communities should be reimbursed for the mining industry’s impact.

Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council Mike Allen tells Wisconsin Public Radio it’s voted against sending a representative to the board. Allen says the council wants federal regulators involved to assess the damage the mine will do to tribal and state land.

The Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe stands to take the brunt of impact from what would be the largest iron ore mine in North America. Tribal Chairman Mike Wiggins says Native American leaders must protect the air and water and the ability to hunt, fish and gather.

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Information from: Wisconsin Public Radio, http://www.wpr.org