Tag Archives: Coalition Partners

NWF: Great Lakes Remain Vulnerable to New Wave of Dangerous Mining, According to New Report

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Great Lakes Remain Vulnerable to New Wave of Dangerous Mining, According to New Report

Weak laws, lax enforcement undermine efforts to protect natural resources, wildlife, communities from mine waste

05-10-2012 // Jordan Lubetkin
Lake Superior

Gaps, inconsistencies and loopholes in U.S. state and Canadian provincial laws are leaving the Great Lakes and other natural resources vulnerable to a new wave of mining activity sweeping the Upper Great Lakes states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota and Canadian province of Ontario, according to a new legal analysis by the National Wildlife Federation and Ecojustice Canada.

“Weak laws and lax enforcement undermine efforts to protect our water, wildlife and communities from this dangerous form of mining,” said Michelle Halley, National Wildlife Federation attorney. “There is an urgent need for the region to address these issues now or likely face decades of contamination and clean-up.” Continue reading →

KBIC appeals to UN, saying sulfide mining infringes on Native rights

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Posted by Nicole Walton
May 7th, 2012

BARAGA, MI– The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community is claiming sulfide mining infringes on its indigenous rights and lands.

The KBIC has submitted a document to the United Nations outlining how mines like the one in Marquette County are being approved without the tribe’s consent. Continue reading →

Two U.P. residents attend Rio Tinto meeting in London

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Press Release  April 15, 2012

Two Upper Peninsula women are traveling to London, England to attend the Rio Tinto Annual General Meeting taking place April 19, 2012.  Carla Champagne of the grassroots citizens group Concerned Citizens of Big Bay and Cynthia Pryor of the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, plan on attending the Rio Tinto AGM meeting for two reasons:

 

“Air Quality is of prime importance to the people and community of Big Bay.” states Carla Champagne.  “We are directly downwind and no one – including Kennecott and the DEQ – knows what is currently in the air coming from this mine, or even more importantly, what will be coming from the one once they are in full operation.  There are no air monitors either at the mine or anywhere near Big Bay.  We will be asking the Rio Tinto Board of Directors and their shareholders for a comprehensive air quality program to be installed in the region that will be regulated by the DEQ, monitored by DEQ approved third party scientists and all costs paid for by Kennecott.” Continue reading →

Celebrate the U.P. with Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition

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MARQUETTE — The fourth annual Celebration of the U.P., sponsored by the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition (UPEC), will be held on Friday, March 30, and Saturday, March 31, at the Landmark Inn, Peter White Public Library and the Federated Women’s Clubhouse (the corners of Front Street and Ridge Street) in Marquette. Continue reading →

Eagle Project: Petitioners Appeal Court Decision

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Groups Appeal Decision Allowing Dangerous Mine to Move Forward

http://www.yellowdogwatershed.org/blog/2011/12/12/petitioners-appeal-court-decision/

 MARQUETTE, MICH. (December 12, 2011) – A coalition of groups is appealing a court decision that has allowed a dangerous mine to proceed in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—despite the threat the mine poses to water quality, the Great Lakes and one of the region’s last spawning grounds for the coaster brook trout.

The Huron Mountain Club, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, National Wildlife Federation and Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve filed the motion with the Michigan Court of Appeals over the weekend. The groups are opposing the mine on the grounds that it poses unacceptable risks to water and air quality—and that it could collapse, endangering workers and the river it is underneath.

“This mine is the first to be permitted under Michigan’s new mining law, and we must ensure that the law’s protections of human health and the environment are honored and applied,” said Michelle Halley, attorney for the National Wildlife Federation. “So far, they have not been and that is why we are seeking leave to appeal. Many more mines are in the queue and this is a precedent-setting case.”

The groups are appealing a decision by the Ingham County Circuit Court that allowed international mining company Rio Tinto to start mining activities on Eagle Rock—a site considered sacred to Native Americans.

“It is very important to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to protect Eagle Rock as a sacred place,” said Chris Swartz, President, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, “and we are hopeful that this appeal will result in the Court of Appeals reversing the decisions of the circuit court.”

The type of mine being proposed—in which nickel and copper deposits are extracted from sulfide ores—poses severe risks to the environment. One byproduct of so-called “hard rock” or “sulfide ore” mining is sulfuric acid, which has proven deadly to rivers, streams and wildlife in other parts of the country. Rio Tinto, the company overseeing the project, has broken Clean Water Act laws dozens of times in mines they have controlled in other states.

Now, the Michigan Court of Appeals will decide whether to take the case. There is no date by which the court must make its decision.

“We will continue to put forth our concentrated efforts to ensure that this area remains unharmed and protected for everyone’s enjoyment, not just for special interests,” said Emily Whittaker, executive director of Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve.

Witness: A personal account of local efforts to stop the Kennecott Eagle Project mine, by Jon Magnuson

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Jogging down the stairs at Heathrow Airport to the underground train running to London, I carry in my overnight luggage a small container of wild rice, formal letters from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and a document signed by a hundred faith leaders. My twenty-eight-year-old traveling companion, a local organic farmer, writer and activist, carries in his duffle bag—along with a newly purchased bargain-basement suit—a bottle of homemade maple syrup and seven packets of background information on a controversial proposed sulfide mining project near our homes in Northern Michigan.
It’s April 2008 and we travel with support from a number of Michigan-based nonprofit groups, arriving in England a couple of days early for the annual general meeting of one of the world’s largest multinational mining corporations. For twenty years Rio Tinto has been listed as a top choice for investors on the London Stock Exchange. The company also has been documented as being responsible for some of the worst environmental and human rights violations that exist in the modern mining industry. We’re here because they’ll soon be coming, dependent on final government permits, to our neighborhood.

Continue reading →

Minnesota Letter to the Editor: It’s crazy to damage our watershed

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By: Bob Tammen, Duluth Budgeteer News

We care about our watershed. The Lake Superior Watershed Festival brought out hundreds of visitors to Lake Superior College Saturday to learn about threats to Lake Superior. One of the biggest future threats will be copper mining in the Duluth Complex of minerals. Mining promoters have an impressive array of talking points. Unfortunately, they don’t have a scientifically acceptable mining plan.

Polymet’s draft environmental impact statement got the lowest possible rating from the EPA, which issued a letter detailing the Continue reading →

Protect the Earth Great Lakes Community Gathering, Saturday, August 6, 2011 in Champion, MI

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Protect the Earth Gathering UPDATE!
Make your plans now for a ride to the Protect the Earth Great Lakes Community Gathering SATURDAY, AUGUST 6th, at Van Riper State Park
We are calling upon:
a. All those who can drive and take some folks in their vehicle.
b. All those who need a ride.
If you can drive, let us know: a.) from where b.) how many people you can take in your vehicle. Call 906-250-3284.
If you need a ride, let us know. We hope to have drivers from Marquette, Houghton/Hancock, Baraga/L’Anse, and Big Bay. Don’t wait until the last minute … you’ll be up on the roof rack!
ALSO: If you can please bring a lawn chair.
To make a Van Riper camping reservation, call 1-800-447-2757, or reserve a spot at the park entrance.

You are cordially invited to attend the 4th Protect the Earth Great Lakes Community Gathering on Saturday, August 6th at Van Riper State Park in Champion, Michigan. This year’s theme is “Coming Together: Uniting for Strength and Success.”

The purpose of the gathering is to seek ways in which the citizens of the Upper Great Lakes Region can work together more effectively to defend their water resources against the threat of new extraction projects.

Speakers will focus on proposed activity that threatens the health of the region including the controversial Eagle Project on the Yellow Dog Plains and Hud Bay’s proposed Front 40 Project for zinc and gold takings in Menominee Co., according to conference organizer Margaret Comfort.

Also on the program are “Fracking” of gas wells in lower Michigan, proposed extractive resource projects in the Penokee Hills of Wisconsin, and proposed copper-nickel sulfide projects in NE Minnesota, plus a special presentation on environmental justice and indigenous cultural issues.

The gathering is free to interested participants. It will begin with an optional walk at 9:00 a.m. from Koski’s Corner (intersection of US-41 and M-95) to the proposed Humboldt processing facility,  approximately 2.5 miles round trip. The focus of the walk is to raise awareness of the importance of defending local water resources. Rides back to the cars will be available.

The main conference will be held in the Van Riper Park Pavillion beginning with lunch at 11:30 a.m. Al Gedicks (WI), Frank Koehn (WI), Bob Tammen (MN) are among the highlighted speakers scheduled from 1:00-4:30 p.m. A round-table discussion from 4:30-6:00 p.m. will involve threats to health due to heavy metals, sustainable alternatives to dead-end industries, and recent Michigan legislation limiting townships’ zoning authority over extractive industries.  Participants will address ways of working more effectively together.

The day will close with a catered supper and an ‘open mic’ session, according to Comfort. While there is no charge, seating is limited to 100 people. Attendees can e-mail info@savethewildup.org, or call 906-228-4444 to reserve a place at the gathering or arrange for carpooling from Marquette, Big Bay, or Houghton.

This event is sponsored by WAVE – Water Action Vital Earth – working for clean water and a sustainable future, and Save the Wild UP, protecting the Upper Peninsula from environmental degradation and dangerous contamination.

Make your reservations for Protect the Earth 2011 NOW.  Seating is limited to 100 people – make SURE this includes YOU !!!

Please bring lawn or folding chairs – thanks!

LODGING OPTIONS FOR PROTECT THE EARTH GATHERING –  Saturday August 6th

Van Riper State Park – “in the Heart of Moose Country” –located 35 miles west of Marquette on US-41.

1.  Camping at Van Riper State Park  (VRSP – call 906-339-4461) – as of 7/13/11, the following options are available:

a.  ”Group Campsites” along the Peshekee River –  must reserve at least FIVE sites, each site costs $12 per night.   Rustic with vault toilet. 1/2 mile to main park entrance – nice walking trail.  Very beautiful area !  Must call VRSP to reserve.

b.  ”Group Cabin” along Peshekee River – sleeps six in bunk beds.  No kitchen. Rustic with vault toilet. 1/2 mile to main park entrance – nice walking trail. Outfitted with aluminum flat-bottom boat, oars, PFDs. $50 per night.  Bring your own linens. Call VRSP to reserve.

c.  ”Modern Cabin” along shores of Lake Michigamme – gorgeous sunsets.  At the main campground.  Brand new!  No kitchen.  Vault toilet. Sleeps six in bunk beds and one fold-out bed.  $80 per night. Bring your own linens. Call 1-800-44-PARKS to reserve.

d.  ”Modern Campsites” – at the main campground. $21 per night.  Includes electrical hook-up.  Flush toilets and warm showers.

Call 1-800-44-PARKS to reserve.

2.  Area Motels and Cabins

a.  Lake Ruth Resort in Twin Lakes (Rte 41, about 12 miles W of VRSP) –  as of 7/13/11, two large motel rooms with AC and fully-equipped kitchenettes are available for nights of Aug 5 and Aug 6.  $70 per night.  Also available are two cabins, each with bed and stand-up shower, at $60 per night (but no AC).  New, clean, and well-appointed. Right on Ruth Lake!   Call  906-323-9022 to reserve.

b.  L’ Anse Motel (approx 40 miles West on Rte 41) -  906-524-7820, some rooms available at $45 (for two) and $55 (for four people)

c.  Hilltop Inn in L’ Anse – 906-524-6321 or 800-424-2548 – rooms are available for the 5th and 6th, at $54 per night
d.  Best Western (in W. Ishpeming, approx 18 miles East on Rte 41) – 906-485-6345 or 800-528-1234

MEAL OPTIONS AND ADDITIONAL LODGING OPTIONS FOR PROTECT THE EARTH GREAT LAKES COMMUNITY GATHERING - 

A.  ADDITIONAL LODGING OPTIONS:   these lodgers do have availability on Aug 5th and 6th (as of 7/24/11 a.m.)

i.    Maple Ridge Resort – on Lake Michigamme 906-323-6334, $105 per night – 1 queen-sized bed with complete kitchen

ii.   Streak-Ed Water Resort – also on the Lake 906-323-6169.  $80 per night – cabin with full-sized bed & complete kitchen, bring bath towels

B.  MEALS –

Best Friday Night Fish Fry in the Universe -  Hometown Cafe right in Michigamme – call 323-6323 – open 8 am to 8 pm every day.  Breakfast is served all day.

Mt. Shasta Restaurant – on Rte 41 – right at Michigamme.  Call 323-6212.  Good Fish Fry too.  Part of “Anatomy of a Murder” was filmed here!

Lunch and Dinner only.

Francois Cafe – at intersection of Rte 41 and Rte 95 - where the Walk will begin on Saturday a.m. -  phone 339-0013 – open 7 am to 7 pm.

For those travelling from the West:  

a.  Covington – The Hardwood Steakhouse – delicious Ruebens (with their own homemade red slaw), French Onion Soup, Steaks - 4 miles WEST of the Covington Junction (Rte 41 and Rte 141) – call 355-2712

a.  L’Anse – HillTop Restaurant (adjacent to HillTop Motel):  524-7858

b.  Baraga – Best Western Lakeside Inn (a beautiful view of Keweenaw Bay and good fish!, also Lodging) – 353-7123

c.  Baraga – Oibwa Casino Resort and Migizi Wadiswan Restaurant -  353-6333 (Lodging) and 353-4494 (Restaurant)

For those traveling from the East:

Fine Dining in Beautiful Marquette:

a.  Casa Calabria (Italian) at 1106 N. 3rd St. (228-2088) – lunch & dinner

b.  Coco’s -  911 Lakeshore Blvd (overlooking Lake Superior) – call 228-2680 for lunch & dinner.

c.  The Vierling – a classic MQT establishment with beautiful view of Lake Superior – near the corner of Front St. and Washington St.

d.  Rubiyat (Indian cuisine) – 119 W. Baraga (right next to the MQT Coop) 228-7800

e.  Sai Uwa Thai Bistro – what a delight!  -  228-8424 – on Front St. just 1/2 block N. of Washington St.

f.   SweetWater Cafe  517 N. 3rd St. 226-7009

g.  UpFront and Co. 102 E. Main St. 228-5200

Fine Dining in Beautiful Ishpeming:

a.  Mama Mia’s (Italian) at 207 E. Pearl St. (485-5813)

b.  World’s Best Italian Beef Sub:  Ralph’s Italian Deli (corner of Rte 41 and Palms Ave.) call 485-4557

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST GIVE US A CALL AT 906-228-4444 or 906-250-3284

SEE YOU THERE !

Invitation to Join U.P. Grassroots Campaign

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U.P. Grassroots Campaign to

Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine

Our water…our lives…

Friends,
Please join a new campaign that SWUP (Save the Wild UP) and  WAVE (Water Action Vital Earth), is organizing to halt development of the Kennecott Eagle Mine. It is called the U.P. Grassroots Campaign to Defend Our Water and Stop the Eagle Mine.  

The purpose of the campaign is to arouse, inspire, and mobilize our citizens to make a renewed effort to block the mine.  Its specific objective is to convince Governor Snyder to issue an executive order to halt work on the mine and call for a complete third party impact study on every aspect of the Eagle Mine project.

The campaign is urgently required. It may be our last, best chance to stop the mine.  Kennecott has indicated that it may begin blasting the mine’s portal in mid-September through Eagle Rock.   Eagle Rock is a sacred site of the Anishinabe people.  It has also become a symbol for all of us of the sacredness our precious, fragile ecosystem

The open ended campaign began on July 9 with a rally in Marquette. While it has a political objective, the campaign will have a spiritual, nonviolent foundation. WAVE member Scott Rutherford began an open-ended water-only protest fast on July 9. His statement is enclosed.
Governor Snyder refused an earlier appeal we made to halt development of the mine. We explained the great danger the mine posed to our water and to our health—and the health of our children and their children. We found his decision unconscionable. We advised him that he had failed to discharge the responsibility of his office to protect the health and well being of the citizens of our state. In response to his refusal, we have organized the campaign.

Here are some ways that you can support us:

  • Send us an email, letting us know you endorse the campaign.
  • Ask your members to participate in our “Write-In, Call-In Campaign.” Tell the Governor to halt work on the mine and order an EIS!

Write-in dates: August 7-21. Call-in dates: August 11 and 12.

Write: Governor Rick Snyder, P.O. Box 30013, Lansing MI 48909,

Email: rick.snyder@mich.gov or FAX: (517) 335-7858

Call: Tel. (517) 373-3400;

More information is available at the SWUP website: http://www.savethewildup.org/.

  • Join us at the Protect the Earth gathering at Van Riper State Park on August 6.  Details are on our website.

A closing thought. We believe the Eagle mine is a symbol of the consequences of an alliance between the corporate sector of our economy, dominated by multi-national giants like Rio Tinto, and our state government that has effectively disenfranchised the citizenry. We no longer have an effective voice in the most basic decisions that affect our health and well being. How are we to regain our voice? We believe it can only be done by creating our own alliances, finding common ground, and working together to regain our voice. We will have an opportunity to talk about how we can move ahead together at the Protect the Earth gathering and, hopefully on other occasions. Please let us have your views on this important matter.

Scott Rutherford fast statement-1-1

 

Statement of Protest Against Kennecott’s Eagle Mine And Support for Scott Rutherford’s Fast

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Written by Jon W.  Magnuson

Lutheran pastor , Lutheran Campus Pastor (ELCA) at Northern Michigan University

Director, The Cedar Tree Institute

Deeply embedded in the best traditions of our democracy and carried by the heart of the great religions is a dream of a better, more beautiful world, the honoring of individual conscience, a respect for those who differ, and a promise to work together for a Common Good.

For the last seven years here in Marquette County we have been part of a Divine Drama.  An ongoing heated dispute around a decision whether or not to allow an international mining company, with one of worst records of environmental pollution and violation of human rights in the world, build a sulfide mine on the Yellow Dog Plains. Even now we hear their 100 ton double-axel trucks relentlessly pass through our city streets, haunting us day and night, as if making us believe that nothing can stop them.

When this is all over and done, it will all be about a choice. And whether or not we thought we had one. Well, we do.

I have a friend Kathy who spent two years in women’s prison in Virginia. She told me that the most important thing she learned there from another older wiser inmate is that even when one is incarcerated, one always has a choice: Whether to speak to speak or not to speak, whether to show kindness in difficult circumstances, to be generous with your few possessions, to live out a life of hope, compassion, justice.  I’ve talked to many citizens in our community who have expressed their opposition and disgust to Rio Tinto’s  sulfide mine.  But many of them feel that nothing can stop Kennecott.

I am here today to remind us we can choose to be victims or to engage and speak out for what we believe.  Back in 1978 Lois Gibbs, then a twenty-three year old housewife with no college education and two children back in Love Canal, discovered she was living with her neighbors on a toxic waste dump in New York State She organized her community and neighbors and forced one of the largest oil corporations in North America to clean the damage that was poisoning their families. Last October, she came and spoke to us here in Marquette. We stood up and cheered. She’s well known across North America fighting on behalf of poor communities, hotel workers, churches, kitchen workers, and immigrants.

In 2004, 100 leaders of ten faith traditions in Marquette, Baraga and Keweenaw Counties signed a petition that, based on studies of the impact of the proposed mine,

and standing in solidarity with of one of the oldest recognized Native communities in Northern Michigan (The Keweenaw Indian Community) formally stated their opposition

to Kennecott’s Eagle Rock mining operation.  That position remains unchanged.

There is a better way. Those gathering here today are lifting up a voice that our waters and land are not for sale to those who carry the threat of poisoning our children and grandchildren. Many of us in the faith community are committed to work with the Marquette Chamber of Commerce to renew their efforts to build a solid green economy. This is finally not about money and jobs. It’s about dedicating ourselves to a vision of a green economy where we work together to build new opportunities for employment, where our waters are protected and our children’s health is safeguarded. We can do that by saying “No” to Rio Tinto and it’s subsidiary company Kennecott.

This is a good fight. In the days and weeks ahead I will be personally supporting, along with a hundred other leaders of the faith community, Scott Rutherford’s hunger fast, a sacrament of protest to protect and to build a better and more beautiful, morally sound, and healthy vision for our grandchildren. Our prayers surround you Scott.

In the Judeo-Christian tradition, there is an account in Genesis of God giving his Chosen People a list of Commandments. Among them it is written,  “Thou shalt not steal.”  At the end of that account, Moses words ring out, but this time now for us all across the lands of Northern Michigan, through our homes, across the Great Lake of Superior, over our gardens, our schoolyards, over our forests and streams,

“So I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse Therefore choose life that you may dwell in this sacred land, loving the Lord your God for the length of your days.”

This is that moment. Our day. Our time.

7/9/11