South Road – Projected Pollution Corridor

(Based on findings from the Red Dog Mine in Alaska)

A study done by the National Park Service in Alaska illustrates the dangers of the Kennecott South Haul Road. The Red Dog Mine in Alaska has a 51 mile haul road, and heavy metal pollution from Fugitive Dust flying off mining trucks has severely polluted the frozen tundra over a mile away from the road. Despite damning evidence of the pollution, nothing has been done, and plans for a second mine are currently being approved.

Below are maps from the NPS study, indicating the extent of pollution at the Red Dog Mine, as well as a projected pollution map for the proposed south road. In Alaska they were dealing with Lead and Zinc, and the problem of sulfuric acid drainage was non-existent because of very little precipitation and permafrost; in the U.P. we will be looking at Uranium dust, Sulfuric Acid, Zinc, Nickel, etc.

“Anchorage, Alaska – Today, Alaska Community Action on Toxics released newly discovered information concerning high levels of lead and zinc contamination at the Red Dog Mine port site. A monitoring program conducted at the Red Dog mine’s port site in the mid-1990s found lead levels in soils as high as 36,000 parts per million (“ppm”) and zinc levels as high as 180,000 ppm, far in excess of state cleanup standards of 1,000 ppm for lead and 8,100 ppm for zinc. Although the monitoring program was conducted at the request of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), this information was never released to the public.”
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Pb Pollution Corridor

Pb Pollution Corridor

Projected Pollution if the U.P. were covered by permafrost. In actuality, the corridor of pollution would likely be much larger because the U.P. is covered with flowing water.

Southroad Projected Pollution

Southroad Projected Pollution

“The Red Dog Mine Haul Road traverses 24 miles of National Park Service (NPS) lands in Cape Krusenstern National Monument (CAKR), Alaska. Ore trucks use the road to transport 1.1 million dry tons of lead-zinc concentrate annually from the mine to a port site on the Chukchi Sea. In the summer of 2000, moss and soil samples were collected from six transects perpendicular to the haul road in CAKR. Laboratory analyses were performed on the moss Hylocomium splendens, soil parent material, road dust, and substrate from materials sites. Analysis revealed a strong road-related gradient in heavy metal deposition. H. splendens was highly enriched in lead (Pb > 400 mg/kg), zinc (Zn > 1800 mg/kg), and cadmium (Cd > 12 mg/kg) near the haul road. Concentrations decreased rapidly with distance from the road, but remained elevated at transect endpoints 1000 m – 1600 m from the road (Pb >30 mg/kg, Zn >165 mg/kg, Cd >0.6 mg/kg). Samples collected on the downwind (north) side of the road had generally higher concentrations of heavy metals than those collected on the upwind (south) side.”
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Read the NPS Full Report

Road Commission Decision on South Road October 19

Marquette County Road Commission Meeting
Monday, October 19, 2009
Ishpeming Township Hall (note location change)
6:30 pm

The MCRC will either vote to accept Kennecott’s Proposed South Road plan or defer the decision until a later meeting. At a public hearing held Sept 28, a group of 20 citizens voiced their concerns about the proposed route and urged the commission to postpone their decision until Kennecott 1) amends their mining permit and 2) obtains all of the necessary permits to do their mining business.

Urge the commission to postpone their decision on the public portion of this massive road project that promises to

 degrade and destroy the wilderness highlands of Michigamme Township
 displace wildlife
 open thousands of acres to intensive logging, sulfide mining, and other development
 threaten the ecological health of sensitive wetlands, streams and rivers

TAKE ACTION:
Attend the meeting Monday night!

If you cannot,

Call  MCRC, Jim Iwaniki,  Monday and voice your concerns!          486 -4491 Ext. 200

DEQ Response to Humbolt Mill Public Comments

DEQ recently received public comment on Kennecott’s proposed Humbolt Processing Mill.

FOR MINING PERMIT, KENNECOTT EAGLE MINERALS

PROPOSED HUMBOLDT MILL PROJECT

Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

April 15, 2009

Proposed Decision

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) is deferring the proposed decision on the application for a Mining Permit submitted by Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company (KEMC) for the Humboldt Mill Project in Humboldt Township, Marquette County. The application was submitted under the provisions of Part 632, Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended (NREPA). KEMC also submitted applications under the NREPA for a Michigan Air Use Permit – Permit to Install under Part 55; a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit under Part 31; and an Inland Lakes and Steams Permit under Part 301.

Part 632 requires the MDEQ to make a proposed decision by April 15, 2009. However, KEMC waived the deadline for the proposed decision to allow for processing all MDEQ permits related to the project in a coordinated fashion. Section 63205(15) of Part 632 provides that the applicant may waive certain timelines to facilitate the coordination. It is anticipated the MDEQ will make a proposed decision on the application for a Mining Permit by June 17, 2009. In addition, at that time the MDEQ will establish a time and place for a consolidated public hearing on the proposed decision for the Part 632 application and draft decisions on the applications for the other MDEQ permit applications noted above. Notice of the public hearing will be posted on the MDEQ web site.

Application Review Process

The MDEQ received the KEMC application for a Mining Permit on December 26, 2008. Prior to receiving the application, the MDEQ had formed a Mining Application Review Team (the “Mining Team”) to review the application and public comments. The review team consisted of technical experts from MDEQ, MDNR, and one outside contractor.

The MDEQ determined the application was administratively complete (i.e., it contained all of the required documents and information) on January 9, 2009. The MDEQ held a public meeting on the application on February 18, 2009 and accepted public comments for 28 days after the meeting.

The Mining Team conducted an initial review of the application and identified areas that needed clarification or additional information. MDEQ sent KEMC a letter on February 25, 2009 listing areas where supplemental information and data are needed to complete a thorough, accurate, and comprehensive review of the application. Part 632 provides for the submission of additional information and data to supplement and clarify information supporting the application.

All information submitted to date by KEMC relating to the Part 632 application has been posted on the MDEQ internet site. Paper copies of the information were made available for review at the Peter White Library in Marquette, the Humboldt Township Hall, and MDEQ offices in Gwinn and Lansing. As additional information is submitted by KEMC it will be made available at all of the locations listed above.

Public Comments and DEQ Response available at the following link:

http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/Response-Public-Comments-2009-04-15_275038_7.pdf

Medical Doctors, Physicians Address Public Health Threats in Upper Peninsula

By Gabriel Caplett
March 20, 2009

Marquette, Michigan – Current pollution from past chemical, mining and military operations were addressed alongside the potential for continued public health threats posed by coal power generation and mining activities, Thursday, at the Women’s Federated Clubhouse, in Marquette. The event, organized by the Great Lakes Health and Environment Action League (HEAL), featured presentations by area health professionals, toxicologists and university professors.

Event moderator, Gene Champagne, said the event was significant for many because public health concerns are “universal.”

“No one wants to be ill,” said Champagne. “We’re talking about the health, our own health, our parents, our children. That matters to everyone.”

Heavy Metals a Concern in Water and Air
Dr. Lisa Long, a family practitioner in Negaunee, discussed various heavy metals and their potential to affect human health. According to Long, metals such as arsenic, lead, chromium, thallium and cadmium are commonly associated with mine-related pollution. Cadmium, which is also contained in sewage sludge fertilizers, as well as medical and household incinerated waste, is also commonly found in cigarettes.

“If you smoke, you’ve got twice the exposure as somebody who doesn’t,” said Long.

Although highly toxic, particularly to children and pregnant women, lead is also fairly common in everyday life. “The only metal with more commercial uses is iron,” said Long.

According to Long, lead has a “sweet” taste and was commonly used by ancient Romans to sweeten cheap wine. It is that sweetness that makes the metal attractive to young children exposed to the metal. Children absorb roughly fifty percent of lead they ingest, compared to only ten to fifteen percent for adults. The absorption rate is higher with airborne exposure to lead.

Dr. Alan Olson said that, for metals like lead, “zero tolerance should be the rule.”

Dr. Scott Emerson explaining how much lead the human body requires

Dr. Scott Emerson explaining how much lead the human body requires

Shawn Devlin, of Chocolay Township, disagreed. “When you argue for zero you lose credibility,” Devlin said. “There are natural levels of all these things.”

Dr. Scott Emerson, a toxicologist and emergency room physician at Marquette General Hospital, responded that lead has no positive function in the human body and is only found in unsafe amounts as a result of industrial activities.

“There is no safe level for lead, period,” Emerson said.

Emerson also discussed the role of mercury in affecting public health near mining operations. According to Emerson, high sulfate levels in water can assist in increasing concentrations of methyl mercury, a potential problem at Kennecott Mineral’s proposed Eagle Project mine and Humboldt milling facility, both in Marquette County.

Emerson describes methylated mercury as “the most dangerous neurotoxic form of mercury. You get a very aggressive toxin that can go right into the brain and is very readily absorbed.”

According to Dr. Gail Griffith, professor emeritus of Northern Michigan University’s (NMU) chemistry department, coal-fired power plants are another source of mercury, which bio-accumulates in fish tissue and can cause serious human health problems, particularly in young children.

Orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Clayton Peimer cautioned that exposure to “micro-particulates” can be hazardous even if the substance does not contain toxic elements like lead.

“If someone says to you “micro-particles,” go get a mask,” warned Peimer.

Dr. Emerson agreed, maintaining that air pollution “is much more dangerous and has much more impact on health than even the water pollution does”

This surprised Negaunee resident Laura Royea.

“The environmental concerns, the airborne pollutants were very important, the particulate matter,” said Royea. “I had not considered that. I always thought of runoff into the streams and, you know, I didn’t think of the things that become airborne and travel much farther.”

Audience Members at Your Water Your Health

Audience Members at Your Water Your Health

Public Health Threats in the UP
Dr. Griffith discussed ongoing contamination at a number of sites throughout the Upper Peninsula, including the former Cliffs-Dow site that produced charcoal and wood distillate chemicals in the City of Marquette. The company’s dumps closed in the 1960s and eventually became federally-listed Superfund sites.

“You could always tell when they were cleaning out the stills because you could smell it,” said Griffith

For over fifty years, Cleveland Cliffs International (now Cliffs Natural Resources) released mercury from it’s Ishpeming laboratories into the city’s wastewater. That mercury found its way to Deer Lake.

“Some fish of some types from some bodies of water you should never ever eat and that is Deer Lake, for example,” said Griffith.

Griffith explained current public health threats posed by other sites, such as Torch Lake, near Houghton, and the former K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base, northeast of Gwinn. Although the air force complex was closed in the early 1990s, underground storage tanks, landfills, munitions testing areas and fuel spills continue to threaten groundwater quality.

“As we speak there is still a plume of jet fuel headed for Silver Lead Creek,” Griffith said.

Griffith also discussed problems associated with radioactive materials. Republic is considered a “hotspot” for radon, the second major cause of lung cancer, after smoking. In the 1990s, a survey of Republic homes showed that eighty-four percent exceeded maximum exposure levels for the dangerous gas.

A different radioactive element, uranium, has been found in residential wells along the Keweenaw Peninsula, prompting exploration companies to explore for the substance near Lake Gogebic.

“So far they’ve found a little sniff of it but not very much,” said Griffith.

According to NMU sociology professor, Dr. Patricia Cianciolo, new uranium and metallic mining proposals have received some support due to the potential for increased job creation.

“People leave this area when they are young because there is a lack of jobs,” said Cianciolo.

Cianciolo said the lack of regional mine employment pales when compared to the potential threat to residential wells and aquifers from metallic sulfide and uranium mining projects in the western UP.

“It’s just profound to see how close the potential mine sites would be to our major water supplies,” said Cianciolo.

Flambeau Mine Still Polluting
Mining was also a strong theme in Dr. Emerson’s presentation. Emerson explained that Kennecott Mineral’s closed Flambeau copper mine, in Wisconsin, polluted the nearby Flambeau River and continues to discharge high levels of unregulated heavy metals.

“The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior,” Emerson explained. “Kennecott, in general, has not left a good footprint when they have had past mining.”

Emerson said that high levels of manganese have been of particular concern at the Flambeau site. Chronic exposure “basically causes a schizophrenic type psychotic illness which can progress to motor abnormalities and Parkinson’s-type disease,” Emerson said.

“Although they did test the Flambeau River all the testing was done above where the most contaminated stream was in confluence with the Flambeau River,” said Emerson.

“There seems to be some real regulatory failure on the part of the State of Wisconsin on this.”

Marquette resident Brenda Hershey said that the information on Flambeau made her “more concerned.”

“When the research showed they were above levels they just stopped the research,” said Hershey. “How can we base decisions about Marquette [County] on information that is not complete?”

According to Emerson, despite high levels of “indicator” metals, such as copper and zinc, studies for lead and other heavy metal contamination at the Flambeau mine site were not presented to the public. Studies conducted by Colorado-based Stratus Consulting showed that, based on Flambeau results, Kennecott’s proposed Eagle mine could have lead levels nine times what is allowed in the mining permit issued by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality as well as high levels of cadmium, which can cause kidney damage.

“This is at best regulatory incompetence and, at worst, highly unethical shenanigans on the part of the DEQ,” said Emerson.
According to HEAL’s website, the group “is an information warehouse focused on water and air quality and related environmental health topics in the Great Lakes Basin” and sees it’s role as a facilitator of “user-friendly” information between the citizens and science and health professionals.

Send Kennecott Humboldt Mill Comments to the DEQ

Kennecott is proposing to operate a metallic sulfide mine in one of Michigan’s last wild areas, the Yellow Dog Plains, and recently submitted an application to re-open a milling facility in Humboldt Township, Michigan for processing of ore from the mine site. If approved, Kennecott’s proposed milling facility operations could result in environmental degradation and human health hazards. The DEQ is accepting written comments until 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 18, 2009.

Click here to start the online comment process

“Mining Madness, Water Wars” Documentary Showing January 22

Save the Wild UP will host a showing of the compelling documentary, “Mining Madness, Water Wars: The Great Lakes in the Balance” on Thursday evening, January 22 at Peter White Public Library.

Produced by the National Wildlife Federation, this 33 minute production lays bare the controversial proposal to blast a mine beneath a blue ribbon trout stream in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

A social gathering with refreshments will begin at 6:00 pm in the Community Room followed by a brief update on the sulfide mining issue at 6:30. The documentary showing will begin at 7:00. A question and answer session will follow. For more information, call Save the Wild UP at 228-4444