Because SIRG is stalled waiting for the permits, I have continued to follow other permitting issues. This one is of interest!

The Army Corps, argued Republicans, business lobbyists and a company interested in siting a mine in Wisconsin, takes too long to reach decisions on issuing permits, two to four years on average , according to a letter from the Army Corps.

So when Republicans re-introduced a mining bill last month, the permitting timeline laid out for the state was much faster.

The bill gave the DNR 420 days to decide whether to issue a permit, far less time than the Corps says it needs to do the same job. The bill would also allow an applicant company to pause the process one time for a maximum of 60 days.

In contrast, a separate mining bill introduced last week by Sen. Tim Cullen, D-Janesville, would give the state 730 days to reach a decision on issuing a permit.