Dave Dempsey shares his reaction to the DNR decision on the Kennecott Land Use Lease and Mining and Reclamation Plan in the Great Lakes Blogger
Yearly Archives: 2008
Remembering Roscoe:Grandfather of WI’s Anti-mining Movement
February 9th marked the one year anniversary of the death of Roscoe Churchill, the grandfather of Wisconsin’s grassroots anti-mining movement. Folks in the UP may know Roscoe better as the author of that really big book, “The Buzzards Have Landed!”
Recently, Laura Furtman, Roscoe’s co-author of “The Buzzards Have Landed!”, sent an e-mail commemorating the death of Roscoe. This e-mail came at a time when many people in the Michigan anti-metallic sulfide mining movement recently took a hit with the DNR’s decision to approve Kennecott’s reclamation permit and landuse lease. Remember…It’s not over til its over.
All of our letters to the DNR did help make the land use lease more difficult for Kennecott. The company cannot begin mining until all contested case hearings have concluded. Also, we still have a chance to send letters to the Environmental Protection Agency to try to halt their approval of Kennecott’s Underground Injection Permit. There are a number of avenues we can still take as a community to stop this mine. Let’s put our heads together, keep fighting, and lay the Eagle Project to rest as Wisconsin did with the Crandon mine.
Opinion from Minnesota
This letter to the editor was published at www.startribune.com
State should say no to sulfide mining. That is the question being asked by many people across the state. At this moment the Minnesota DNR and the Army Corps of Engineers are creating an environmental impact statement on a new type of mine being proposed for northern Minnesota just 20 miles from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and 50 miles from Voyageurs National Park.
This is not your typical iron ore mine. This is a mine that contains, among its copper, nickel, platinum and silver, significant deposits of sulfide. The sulfur in the resultant mine tailings could leach off into the surface and ground water, creating streams and creeks that flow with unearthly colors of yellow and red.
Latest News on BHP/Rio Tinto Saga
Recent articles on the BHP play for Rio Tinto:
Cover Story: Granholm’s Disappointing Record
From the cover story of the Lansing City Pulse:
“…at the remote northern end of the state, where the feds are unlikely to send the cavalry, another environmental firestorm came to a head last year. Thanks to a green light from the state’s Department of Environmental Quality, the
Suppressed Report: Great Lakes in Crisis
“For more than seven months, the nation’s top public health agency has blocked the publication of an exhaustive federal study of environmental hazards in the eight Great Lakes states, reportedly because it contains such potentially “alarming information” as evidence of elevated infant mortality and cancer rates.”
DNR Approves Kennecott’s Lease WITH STIPULATIONS
Last night (Thursday, February 7th), at an Natural Resources Commission (NRC) meeting in
Sufficient information is still lacking. Kennecott has failed to address subsidence concerns and leak prevention. These failures, aided by the State’s inadequate monitoring fees (a mere $4,000.00 a year), leaves the State of
Even with this lease Kennecott cannot begin construction.“As much as we were disappointed with the decision late yesterday at a meeting of the Michigan NRC to grant the permits to Kennecott for its sulfide mine ground operations on state-owned land, we take solace in the fact that Director Humphries indicated that Kennecott cannot begin operations or break ground until the courts make a decision regarding the challenges concerning the DEQ permits” said Dick Huey, co-founder of Save The Wild UP.Save The Wild UP would like to remind citizens that this is not over and urge you to continue your efforts to protect our clean water.According to Dick Huey, “This gives us more time to take the case to the people. As Director Humphries herself said, “Time and history will judge us.” She is right. We are already judging her and right now we regard her stewardship as sorely lacking and misguided.“It is our intent to take full advantage of the time we have to make sure that ultimately
Please Click on the following links to read moreNWF Press Release: DNR grants “corporate welfare” to mining company
Colorado communities fear Uranium Mining’s legacy
From “Fort Collins: Now” 2/6/08
With the possibility of an in-situ uranium mine opening near Nunn in the not-too-distant future, Fort Collins Now traveled to
he uranium mine there is about a year ahead of Powertech’s proposal for Nunn [Colorado], and even though it isn’t yet fully permitted, it is being blamed for ruining the groundwater locals rely on to for both themselves and their cattle.
Efforts to oppose the mine have divided the community, and provide a cautionary tale for those in
It’s Time To Get The Feds Involved
| Contact Your Federal Elected Officials | |
| Your Action is Needed | |
| Please send a message via e-mail or print and send a letter to your federal elected officials urging them to tell the EPA to deny the Underground Injection Permit needed for the proposed Kennecott mine on the Yellow Dog Plains.Click on the Take Action button to the right to send the letter or click here and follow the link titled “Contact Your Federal Elected Officials”
Most of the permits associated with this proposed project are decided on a state level but this one is under the federal jurisdiction of the US Environmental Protection Agency. You may also want to send a copy of this letter to your state congress members and the Governors of Michigan and other Great Lakes States. |
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Americans are suffering from “Nature Deficiency”
The Nature Conservancy has released a very interesting report:
“ARLINGTON, VA — New Nature Conservancy-funded research shows that across the U.S. and in other developed nations, people are spending far less time outdoors than ever before. The study will be published Feb. 5 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.”