A recent ‘Letter to the Editor’ explained that sulfide mining proposed for the Yellow Dog Plain cannot be done safely. The letter from 2/9/07 explained: the Wisconsin law prohibits sulfide mining until mining companies can demonstrate successful mining and post-mining without polluting surrounding surface and groundwaters. The aforementioned letter supports our position that this requirement makes it “…very difficult, if not impossible, for companies…”

Yes, we agree it is near impossible to operate a sulfide mine in a water-rich area with-out pollution. In desert or year-round frozen conditions sulfide mining has much less difficulties. Beyond that we are concerned about the potential loss of character of our region. We live here because of the extremely good salaries. Oh No! That’s not it! We live here because the open lands, minimal traffic and recreational activities give a wonderful quality of life.

Here are a few of our concerns:

~ Increased traffic: Our organization estimates that an additional 200 round trips per day of traffic to northern Marquette county will result from this first short-lived proposed mine. More traffic could come from additional sulfide mines.

~ Few short term jobs: Mining is a mature industry that employs very few compared to previous years. Mining now is very mechanized. The jobs are fewer and higher skilled. Many of us have met Kennecott employees who have moved here to work. Perhaps they are already taking the best of the promised jobs.

~ Fencing-off public land: The request to fence-off 160 acres of public land for 40 years sets a precedent that could require regulators to approve numerous other companies who could request fencing-off public land.

~ Dust exhausted from the mine: According to the Kennecott Air Use Permit application, approximately 20 tons/year (4.6 pounds per hour) of particulate matter will be exhausted from the main ventilation stack including some copper, nickel, and sulfur (acid generating). This stack would be about 300 feet from the Salmon Trout River.

~ Industrialization of our camp, hunting recreation land: This foot-in-the-door sulfide mine will lead the way for numerous other short-lived sulfide mines and cause an industrialization of our open lands that is unprecedented.

People talk about wanting jobs, which could help their young friends and family stay in the area. Many of the changes we see associated with sulfide mining could cause people to choose to leave this area anyway.

Respectfully,

Babette Welch

Director, Save The Wild UP

info@savethewildup.org

(This letter was submitted 2/14/07 to the Mining Journal in Marquette, MI)

Grow Detroit
by Dave Nelson
Posted January 11, 2007 @ 9:57 pm

Right now, it seems that the only people in favor of opening the Eagle Nickel Mine north of Marquette are Kennecott ‘ the company that owns the mine ‘ and the state regulators who gave the project a tentative greenlight on Tuesday:

‘This type of mining is a return to the boom-and-bust resource extraction, which caused so much damage to the U.P. in the 1800s,’ Roberson [a long-time U.P. resident and Sierra Club member] said.

Although it is true that the mine will create 120 good jobs, it is also true that those jobs will be gone in less than a decade. Furthermore, since the minerals to be mined are embedded in sulfide rocks, there is a very real risk that exposing those rocks will lead to sulfuric acid and heavy metals contaminating the home of the last naturally reproducing strain of coaster brook trout.

We need the jobs, but let’s take a pass on this one, Michigan.

Story appeared in the Grow Detroit.
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Great Lakes Guy
By Andy Guy
Friday, January 12, 2007

For every company that symbolizes Michigan’s creeping transition to the knowledge economy – Google, United Solar Ovonic, Compuware – there seems to be a similiar number of profiteers trying to perpetuate business as usual and pull the state back towards the outmoded development patterns of the 20th century.

Just look at the types of enterprises the state’s Department of Environmental Quality is approving out of the gate in 2007. The agency recently gave prelimary approval to Kennecott Minerals Company’s plan to dig for nickel and copper beneath the Yellow Dog River in the Upper Peninsula. And the agency also awarded preliminary approval for Nestle Water’s plan to mine high quality H2O from the water systems of two designated trout streams in the central Lower Peninsula. What’s next, trapping beavers for fur?

Both developments promise to create dozens – maybe even 100 – jobs. But they both also raise significant questions about Michigan’s desire and ability to protect the water resources and natural amenities that drives its quality of life, arguably the state’s most important asset in the global economy.

Meanwhile, Gov. Jennifer Granholm used an appearance at the Detroit Auto Show to remind us – yet again – that innovation is the key organizing principle of 21st century prosperity. Indeed, ideas and information are the essential raw material in the modern economy.

Story appeared in the Great Lakes Guy.