Resounding Public Opposition to Proposed Sulfide Mine at Marquette Hearings, Lansing Hearings Scheduled for September 19th
Contacts:
Susan Fawcett, www.earthworkmusic.com info@earthworkmusic.com 231 622 2333
Alexis Raney, www.savethewildup.org info@savethewildup.org 906 228 4444
Opponents of Kennecott’s proposed metallic sulfide mine turned out in force this week at public hearings held in Marquette. With mine supporters outnumbered nearly ten to one, the public demonstrated disappointment at the Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to grant preliminary approval to Kennecott.
Groups like the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, Save the Wild U.P., Earthwork Music, League of Conservation Voters and many others have teamed up to raise awareness and unite the community to protect our most precious resource. Thousands of Michiganders have agreed that the risks of contaminating our water and harming our wildlife do not warrant the insignificant promise of fewer than one hundred jobs for fewer than seven years. Marquette native and Earthwork Music collective member, Joshua Davis shared his thoughts:
I’ve spent countless hours in and around the Yellow Dog River. From running around the County Road 510 as a kid, to sharing the incredible sights, smells and sounds of the Yellow Dog Plains with my family and friends. The decisions we make now – right now – about this land are going to affect us for generations to come. The problem here is that we’re too quick to jump on short-term remedies. The damage to…our remaining pristine land would never be undone. Once this door is open, I believe we would find it nearly impossible to shut. I travel all across the country playing songs about Michigan, and when I talk about the UP, people applaud. Everywhere we go, people know how wonderful the Upper Peninsula is. Let’s keep it that way. History has shown us that politicians and corporations can’t be trusted with the foresight to protect our water and land. They look for money and for re-election. We have to think in the long term, and if we want to keep our land pristine, we have to work for it.
The public is encouraged to come to Lansing for the DEQ hearings this September 19, 1 – 4:30 pm and 6 – 9:30 pm at the Lansing Center, Rooms 203 and 204, 333 E. Michigan Ave. and/or to send written comments to the DEQ until Oct. 17th
DEQ/DNR Kennecott Comments, Office of Geological Survey, P.O. Box 30256, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7756
or e-mail DEQ-Kennecott-comments@michigan.gov
For those interested in sending comments to the DEQ, learning more, or attending the hearings, there will be speakers and information material on Tuesday evening, Sept 18th at Dagwood’s in Lansing.
This is a historic moment in Michigan’s environmental movement. It’s time to galvanize this momentum and make your voices heard in the public hearings.
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