Kennecott Wants to Build a Processing Facility

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From the WLUC-TV6 website.

Kennecott plans milling facility

The old Humboldt mine may come back to life.

Posted: Friday, February 22, 2008 at 5:10 p.m.

HUMBOLDT — TV6 has learned that Kennecott Minerals is considering turning the old Humboldt Mine into an ore milling facility.

Follow this link for the rest of the story.

http://www.wluctv6.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=99380

Keep posted for more information on this and other disappointing developments.

5 thoughts on “Kennecott Wants to Build a Processing Facility”

  1. I guess if this thing does end up happening at least they will be using an existing disaster Building instead of ruining even more of OUR land

  2. That would be a great way to create jobs and extend the life of these projects. Adding greatly to the promised economic impact.

  3. To listen to the folks about jobs, you’d think no one ever worked in the UP. So what is so great about a job anyway? Buy stuff, use it, eat it, throw stuff away. Wow, get a job, then. The “promised” economic impact is that Kennecott will take away billions of dollars of wealth that is actually the people of Michigan’s, destroying the land in the bargain. Why not wait until sulfide mining is completely safe-the metal will be worth more in 50 years.

  4. Actually metal prices have historically been going down over time.

    As for jobs… I wonder why so few of the college bound students in the UP don’t come back until they retire?

    Sulfide mining is one of the most well managed and regulated industries environmentally. It is hard to tell from the current records, because they have not opened a new sulfide mine in over twenty years. In addition the way the EPA presents their data is biased in that includes wastes disposed of in permitted engineered containment. Doubt me? check it out for yourself on their website for the TSR, They say so themselves if you read through the reports.

    http://www.epa.gov/triexplorer/facility.htm

    One of the classic US examples used by the environmental movement to condem mining, is the Red Dog mine. If you take a bit of time to study they mine you’ll discover that prior to the mine the streams around it had such a high metal and acidity they could not support life. Now the mine’s water discharge is of high enough quality to support a population of artic grayling. I can go on about cases like this all day. Yes there have been some problems, just like all human activities. And just like all human activities, they are never completely safe.

    I’m not saying that mining is the greatest thing that can ever happen to the UP. However, I don’t think people are really taking the time to make a truly informed decision. For instance the whole crown pillar huba bullu. The state of Michigan had world reknowned experts review the crown pillar information and the mine has taken a conservation bottom up approach the mine. The “expert” that NWF has specializes in soil mechanics and has only worked in soils and sedimentary rocks. If you want an honest hard hitting review of the mine go and get a real expert in hard rock crown pillar stability. Will Bawden of U of Toronto, William Blake out of Idaho. Talk to University of Missouri Rolla or Colorado School mines about who they have with experience in hard rock mining geotechnical engineering. I’d say Michigan Tech but the knowledge has been lost there.

  5. For generations the people in the UP have lived a tough economic existence. IT is part of what makes a Yooper, a Yooper. Now, just as it is becoming a haven for eco-tourism and a real getaway place, bringing in long term sustainable growth (THE resource being the sense of wilderness and beauty) we have a multi-national mining corp coming in to destroy that. Look at what else is planned, for god’s sake. Power lines, roads, milling, on and on. You want a mining job, Mr. Williams, why not be the first in line then? But I doubt, judging by the educated way that you write, you will be taking one of those jobs.