Mining Company Lobbied Hard in U.P., Lansing
By Glenn Puit
As a large, Utah-based mining company’s push for permission to dig a sulfide mine directly beneath an unspoiled Upper Peninsula trout stream heads for hearings in Lansing today, many opponents of the project wonder whether the state agency considering the company’s application is actually listening to their concerns.
The firm, Kennecott Minerals Company, claims that its proposal to extract nickel and copper embedded in sulfur 1,000 feet directly beneath the Upper Peninsula’s Salmon Trout River will provide badly needed jobs for the region without harming the environment. But many green organizations that either helped write or subsequently praised the state’s new regulatory regime say that if officials are even considering the idea of mining sulfide beneath a river—where any accidental mixing water, oxygen, and sulfur would produce what the company calls “dilute” sulfuric acid—something is awry.
It seems that most of our elected officials in the State of Michigan have all been paid off. With all of the apparent corruption, it gets hard to keep hope alive. I certainly will not give up the fight.
This article really does a good job of showing you the evil behind the almighty dollar. And I guess what appauls me the most is the local politicians that have also sold out. All of which who have been paid heavily enough to be able to pick up and move if the U.P. becomes polluted and their popularity bottoms-out because of it.
We cannot let this happen! NO SULFIDE MINING!!