By Wendy Johnson

A quote from my 7-year-old daughter, when commenting on the cutting along County Road 550 as we were driving to Marquette yesterday: “The road doesn’t even look like our road! It looks like we are downstate or something!”

I am asking for Alger Delta Electric Co-op to HALT the clear cutting on CR 550 until they actually apply for AND receive a permit from the DEQ to do the project.

Tom Harrell, manager for ADEC, has stated that Kennecott will foot the bill for the Big Bay upgrade. They have begun the process of clear cutting trees along CR 550, in which, Mark Felthauser (DEQ) says there are no restrictions to cutting vegetation. However, ADEC will require a permit for the rest of the project. What really bothers me is that they have NOT applied for a permit yet and they are clear cutting all the trees along County Road 550. What if they are denied a permit to do the rest of the project?

Mark Felthauser stated that ADEC, specifically Steven Pike from Gladstone, has applied for a “pre-application” to determine if a permit is needed. The DEQ received this May 1. A meeting was held in the field with ADEC and the DEQ on May 8. The meeting determined that Yes, ADEC does need to apply for a permit before the project can begin. Steven Pike was sent a letter dated May 20. The file number for this project is 08-52-0039-P and can be found on the DNR/DEQ’s Web site.

I had asked Tom Harrell, manager for ADEC if Kennecott was not here, would the upgrade be the same. He stated that they would probably install 45-foot to 50-foot poles instead of the 55-foot poles required for Kennecott. Also, they would only need one circuit if no mine, instead of the two circuits they will put in for Kennecott.

Now, I have heard that Kennecott may not do any work on the Eagle Mine until the contested case hearings have been settled. Even though the Big Bay upgrade will go through, mine or no mine, the extra long poles and the extra circuit, seems to me to be a direct link to the Eagle Project.