From the Detroit Free Press:

“The DEQ is working on cleanups at 450 sites now, but may have to shut them down by the end of the year and lay off 80 to 125 employees unless a new funding source is found.

The state has been telling communities it cannot accept new sites. The depletion of the cleanup fund is ironic with Detroit hosting a national brownfields conference in May to showcase the state’s achievements.”

Click here for the rest of the Freep article

Read another related article in the Freep 

In an effort to symboli ze Citizen’s frustrations with Kennecott’s policy of only allowing citizens to ask questions to individuals during bathroom breaks at Community Advisory Group meetings, local citizens present at Kennecott’s recent meeting stood up and demanded that Kennecott and the board listen to their questions, concerns and comments.  

Many citizens were dismayed that, while Kennecott intended to outline its plans, at the meeting, for building a road going from the Eagle Project, toward Humboldt, and plans to mill its product in Humboldt, that the company waited until DEQ and DNR approval to announce these initiatives.  State agencies did not require information regarding transportation, power and processing in Kennecott’s application.  Also, the public was never briefed on these new projects or given an opportunity to comment on them as they were being formulated.  The State has allowed Kennecott to keep secret its plans for road construction, ore processing and power.  This has afforded Kennecott the ability to minimize the public’s perceived impact of its proposed mining project.

The citizen action was organized by Yellow Dog Summer, which intends to rally the massive regional citizen opposition to Kennecott’s Eagle Project through a series of events.  According to one member, “Our State agencies and Governor have abrogated a mandate to protect Michigan’s natural resources and the public trust. Yellow Dog Summer believes the decision now rests with the public.” Yellow Dog Summer follows strict rules of non-violence developed by the Women’s Peace Camp at Seneca, New York, in 1983:

* Our attitude will be one of openness and respect toward anyone we encounter;
* We will not engage in physical or verbal violence toward anyone we encounter;
* We will not bring or use any drugs or alcohol other than for medical purposes;
* We will carry no weapons; and
* We will not run.

Click here to read an article about the meeting 

Click here to read and watch TV-6 coverage of the meeting 

Click here to read more about the group, Yellow Dog Summer

Please read the following letter from Michelle Halley to Kennecott about her resignation from the community advisory group.

February 22, 2008

Mr. Jon Cherry

Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company

Marquette, MI 49855

Via: HAND DELIVERY, CAG meeting

Dear Mr. Cherry and CAG Members:

Today, I resign from KEMC’s Community Advisory Board. I believe that KEMC’s applications are fatally flawed; the company has chosen to ignore these flaws which endanger both the environment and human health, including that of workers. I now represent NWF in litigation to challenge the permits on those grounds.

Further, the name “Community Advisory Group” is a misnomer. The company has ignored the opinions of the vast majority of this community, and while this group is made of upstanding citizens and honest people, this group does not represent the public’s views and opinions on this matter.

The structure of this group, in that the public majority opinion is not represented, nor are members of the public allowed to speak here, is an insult to democracy. Again, the KEMC-imposed artificiality of the “community” component of this group is a charade in which I will not participate.

The clencher has been the recent development with the electrical lines and the Alger Delta Co-op. KEMC and Alger-Delta were in negotiations for approximately one year before the public knew a word of it, even through the very well-known public comment period on the applications. The regulations require the applicant to assess infrastructure, existing and proposed. These tactics violate the regulations and are not transparent — and I do not choose to be associated in any way with these tactics.

Sincerely,

F. Michelle Halley

Attorney and Senior Manager for Lake Superior Restoration and Protection

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.

Cajamarca Peru: A small wall made of mud and straw stands on a mountain as a reminder of the collective protest that stopped the Newmont Mining Company.

When the Newmont Gold Mining Company, a US-based corporation, tried to open a mine on the sacred Cerro Quilish Mountain they were forced to look elsewhere for their gold. Mt. Quilish was a source of drinking water for the city and farms; it was designated a natural reserve in 2000. Newmont took the designation to court and the Peruvian Government allowed them to continue their exploration.

In August of 2004, a protest including a blockade of vehicles and boulders helped stop the mine. The protest grew over the next two weeks and eventually 10,000 people participated. Newmont called off the project in November of 2004 and admitted to a lack of consultation with the community.

“There is a social license that in my opinion it is far more important than a government license. It is renewable everyday! Without building a trust with the people that live there and work there and have lived there for centuries you are going to have trouble and indeed they have” Kurlander 2005

Protest in Cajamarca Peru

Learn more

 Rio Tinto has reached agreement on the second sale under its planned programme to divest at least US$15 billion of assets. The Group has signed an agreement to sell its interest in the Cortez gold mine in Nevada, USA to a subsidiary of its joint venture partner, Barrick Gold Corporation.

Click Here to Read More

To view the scorecards click on the following links:

For Michigan: http://capwiz.com/lcv_stage/dbq/vote_info/?command=results&sort=Last&state=MI&submit.x=25&submit.y=17&submit=go

For National:  http://lcv.org/scorecard/2007.pdf

Michigan League of Conservation Voters Releases

National Environmental Scorecard including scores for Senators McCain, Clinton and Obama

Ann Arbor, Mich. — The Michigan League of Conservation Voters, the independent political voice for the environment, will release its 2007 National Environmental Scorecard on Thursday, February 21 at 10 am during a telephone press conference.

The LCV Scorecard is the definitive report on the environmental records of Members of Congress. Every year, LCV selects key votes in both the House of Representatives and the Senate and scores every member of Congress on these votes. By providing this report, LCV helps to turn America’s environmental values into public policy.

This report will include:

· Scores for each Michigan Congressional member of the House and Senate for 2007 and the cumulative lifetime score for each member

· Lifetime and 2007 scores for the leading presidential candidates, Senators McCain, Clinton and Obama.

For the scorecard visit the MLCV website at http://michiganlcv.org/ tomorrow

The Upper Peninsula Power Company has filed a Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Document and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene,

and Protests. 

In essence, they are making the first move to get the reconstruction of the Dead River Hydroelectric Project underway.

Here is the notice from the Federal Register (these are very hard to read):

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 10855-118]

Upper Peninsula Power Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Document and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene,

and Protests

February 12, 2008.

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been

filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection:

    a. Application Type: Intent to rebuild reservoir.

    b. Project No: 10855-118.

    c. Date Filed: January 23, 2008.

    d. Applicant: Upper Peninsula Power Company.

    e. Name of Project: Dead River Hydroelectric Project.

    f. Location: The project is located on the Dead River in Marquette

County, Michigan.

    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r.

    h. Applicant Contact: Shawn Puzen, Integrys Business Support LLC,

700 N. Adams Street, P.O. Box 19001, Green Bay, WI 54307-9001, Tel:

(920) 433-1094.

    i. FERC Contact: Peter Yarrington, Telephone (202) 502-6129, and e-

mail: <A href=”mailto:peter.yarrington@ferc.gov”>peter.yarrington@ferc.gov</A>.

    j. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, and protest:

March 13, 2008.

    All documents (original and eight copies) should be filed with:

Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,

Washington, DC 20426.

    The Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure require all

interveners filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of

that document on each person whose name appears on the official service

list for the project. Further, if an intervener files comments or

documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that

may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must

[[Page 9317]]

also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. A copy of

any motion to intervene must also be served upon each representative of

the Applicant specified in the particular application.

    k. Description of Request: Upper Peninsula Power Company has filed

an Environmental Report addressing its intent to rebuild the Silver

Lake Reservoir, part of the Dead River Hydroelectric Project (FERC No.

10855). The project consists of three separate developments: Silver

Lake, Dead River (Hoist), and McClure. Silver Lake serves as a storage

reservoir for downstream power generation. In May 2003, an emergency

fuse plug on the Silver Lake Reservoir activated, resulting in the

release of a large quantity of water, rock and sediment downstream. A

river recovery project has been implemented, however, the elevation of

the reservoir is significantly reduced. The licensee is proposing to

rebuild Silver Lake Reservoir, which requires constructing a new dam

#2 to replace the prior emergency fuse plug, raising the height

of the main dam and a series of smaller dikes and dams that contain the

reservoir, adding a new spillway, and raising the level of the current

service spillway to the height of the main dam, ending its function as

a spillway.

    The Commission intends to prepare an environmental document under

the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Silver Lake

Reservoir rebuilding project. The NEPA document will be used by the

Commission to identify environmental impacts and to identify measures

that would help mitigate the impacts caused by rebuild activities.

    l. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is

available for inspection and reproduction at the Commission’s Public

Reference Room, located at 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington,

DC 20426, or by calling (202) 502-8371. This filing may also be viewed

on the Commission’s Web site at <A href=”http://www.ferc.gov”>http://www.ferc.gov</A> using the

“eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three

digits in the docket number field to access the document. You may also

register online at <A href=”http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp”>http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp</A> to

be notified via e-mail of new filings and issuances related to this or

other pending projects. For assistance, call 1-866-208-3676 or e-mail <A href=”mailto:FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov”>

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov</A>, for TTY, call (202) 502-8659.

    m. Individuals desiring to be included on the Commission’s mailing

list should so indicate by writing to the Secretary of the Commission.

    n. Comments, Protests, or Motions to Intervene: Anyone may submit

comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene in accordance with the

requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 385.210, .211,

.214. In determining the appropriate action to take, the Commission

will consider all protests or other comments filed, but only those who

file a motion to intervene in accordance with the Commission’s Rules

may become a party to the proceeding. Any comments, protests, or

motions to intervene must be received on or before the specified

comment date for the particular application.

    o. Any filings must bear in all capital letters the title

“COMMENTS”, “PROTEST”, or “MOTION TO INTERVENE”, as applicable,

and the Project Number (P-10855-118) of the particular application to

which the filing refers.

    p. Agency Comments: Federal, state, and local agencies are invited

to file comments on the described application. A copy of the

application may be obtained by agencies directly from the Applicant. If

an agency does not file comments within the time specified for filing

comments, it will be presumed to have no comments. One copy of an

agency’s comments must also be sent to the Applicant’s representatives.

    q. Comments, protests and interventions may be filed electronically

via the Internet in lieu of paper. See, 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and

the instructions on the Commission’s Web site at <A href=”http://www.ferc.gov”>http://www.ferc.gov</A>

under the “e-Filing” link.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

[FR Doc. E8-3046 Filed 2-19-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P

EXTENDED DEADLINE!Call for Proposals: NMU 2008 Indigenous Earth Day Summit

This summit will function as a call to action on Indigenous environmental issues in the Great Lakes area, on Turtle Island and around the world. An Aboriginal Australian delegation from the
Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways project (see http://www.tkrp.com.au/) will be featured as keynote presenters and will provide musical entertainment.Presentations should ultimately include ideas on how to address Indigenous environmental concerns. Topics include, but are not limited to, the following: