Letters Needed for Open Comment Period:
Yearly Archives: 2008
Kennecott Investigated for Concealing Public Health Threat
The Salt Lake Tribune (SLT) has been covering a major scandal involving Kennecott and Magma, UT.
“Kennecott concealed the seismic risks facing the tailings pond less than a half mile away [from Magma]…
Walker feels a little betrayed and deeply suspicious of the Utah copper giant, which used an undisclosed agent to sell her the home in 1996 – before Kennecott deemed the tailings impoundment safe. “ Click here for the rest of the story
Additional SLT articles on this breaking story:
Kennecott keeps Utah community “in the dark”
Kennecott concealed the potential for a disaster
Excerpts from the Investigation Memo
How the Salt Lake Tribune stories came to be
“Mining firm sees gold in U.P. hills”
From the March 23, 2008 story in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Stephenson, Mich. – Deb Skubal looks out her living room window and sees a pristine forest, an occasional eagle or bear, and the Menominee River meandering through the woods on its way to Green Bay.
Geologist Tom Quigley looks at the same scene and sees the same beauty. But he also envisions the riches beneath the ground: gold, silver and zinc, all trapped in rock nearly 2 billion years old.
Their viewpoints appear to be on a collision course that illustrates a conflict between the needs of an increasingly global economy and the environmental disruption that can result from meeting those needs.”
World Water Day 2008
March 22 was World Water Day.
“The world faces a future of “water wars”, unless action is taken to prevent international water shortages and sanitation issues escalating into conflicts, according to Gareth Thomas, the [British] International Development minister. ”
Click here to read the rest of this story from The Independent
“Water – the most basic element on earth. Without water, human life doesn’t exist. And without safe water, neither does good health. For most of us, it’s a short walk to the faucet in the kitchen, or bottled water in the refrigerator. But for more than a billion people – about one in six people on earth – getting safe water each day is no easy task.”
Click here for more information
Anyone living in the Great Lakes Region is fortunate to have 20% of the world’s freshwater at our fingertips. It is easy to take it for granted. Please consider cutting your water consumption to remind yourself and others how precious fresh, clean water is to most of the Earth’s inhabitants.
Latest News on Rio Tinto, Kennecott’s parent company
The Story of Stuff
This excellent 20-min animated short film is a unique analysis of the birth and death of everyday products and suggestions on how individuals can change the current unsustainable linear life of these products to a sustainable closed cycle. Well worth the 20 minutes!
Watch it at http://www.storyofstuff.com/
Join Us: SWUP Annual Meeting This Thursday
SWUP hopes that our members and supporters will join us at our annual membership meeting in Marquette at the Presque Isle Pavilion on March 27 from 5-8 pm. The pavilion offers a beautiful view of Lake Superior and Middle Island and is known locally as Sunset Beach!
Re-election of current Board members and changes to the organizations By-laws will be on the agenda. There will be snacks and entertainment provided. We are eager to hear from our membership and look forward to talking with you.
Paradise Found: Marquette Receives National Recognition
Outdoor Life Magazine Names Marquette as #7 in Best 200 Towns List
In the April 2008 issue of Outdoor Life Magazine, Marquette received the honor of ranking #7 in the top 200 towns in the United States for hunters and anglers.
“We’ve all visited those towns, the ones with the river running through them, the woodlands nudging the outskirts and the cafe that’s crowded at 5 a.m. with duck hunters and trout guides.
Maybe it’s a Western mountain town tucked into drop-dead scenery. Or a whitewashed New England village or a charming Southern river city. Maybe it’s a Midwestern county seat or a coastal vacation spot with forever views of the blue-green beyond.”
Click here to read the rest of the story
Coasters Considered For Federal Protection
“TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took a step Thursday toward placing the coaster brook trout, which once thrived in the upper Great Lakes, on the endangered species list.
A petition filed by two groups in 2006 made a strong enough case to justify a formal review, the service said in a Federal Register notice. The Sierra Club and the Huron Mountain Club sued the agency in December for failing to act earlier. Officials blamed the delay on budget restraints.”
Click here for the rest of the story
Click here for more information on Coasters from NMU Fish Biology Lab
Marquette’s Mining Journal Revokes Online Comment Feature
From the March 5, 2008 Mining Journal Article:
“Some Mining Journal readers have no doubt taken note that as of Monday our Internet edition no longer offers a readership comment option at the end of each story. The Journal felt compelled to withdraw the comment option as the result of abuse by a small minority of readers.”