Kennecott Eagle project
EPA involved?
By JOHN PEPIN, Journal Staff Writer
MARQUETTE — Opponents of a proposed Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company nickel and copper mine on the Yellow Dog Plains claim necessary federal permits beyond state approvals could indefinitely delay the project.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently notified company officials that at least one federal permit will be required before construction can begin, opponents said.
According to a press release from the National Wildlife Federation, EPA Water Division Director Jo Lynn Traub sent a letter to Kennecott representatives urging the company to submit previously-requested information regarding a treated water infiltration system proposed by Kennecott. EPA representatives could not be reached for comment this morning.
The proposed system is a series of pipes buried underground that allows treated water to trickle back into the ground, impacting the entire aquifer, the release said.
“This permit is required to ensure that the infiltration system would not endanger an underground source of drinking water,” according to the release.
Acting independently of state regulators, Traub stated that, upon receiving the requested information, the agency will “make a determination about other potential requirements,” according to the NWF release.
Kennecott representatives were unavailable for comment this morning.
Michelle Halley, an attorney for the NWF, said the EPA’s involvement in the issue is an important step.
“With the oversight of the EPA, the people of Michigan gain another layer of protection for our groundwater resources,” she said.
Halley said that an EPA permit could stall the project for an unknown period of time, depending upon the information that is provided by the company and whether it satisfies EPA requirements.
A public hearing and comment period will also likely occur as part of the federal permit process, she said.
Several groups, including the NWF, have opposed the mining company’s proposed project on the basis of alleged permit application deficiencies and an inappropriate location.
These groups are still advocating for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to reject the company’s permit applications.
State regulators will hear from the general public at a series of hearings in March, beginning with a three-day hearing in Marquette March 6 through 8, followed by a March 12 hearing in Lansing.