BusinessWeek.com
The Associated Press
By JOHN FLESHER
January 9, 2007, 2:54PM EST

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality tentatively approved a proposal Tuesday to drill a nickel and copper mine in the Upper Peninsula.

The department’s ruling is a crucial step for Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co.’s plan to operate the mine in the Yellow Dog Plains region of northern Marquette County. A final decision will be made later this year, following a public comment period.

The proposed mine has drawn heavy opposition from environmentalists, who say it would endanger the sensitive Salmon Trout River headwaters and pose other ecological threats. Company officials say they would take extensive steps to protect the environment.

DEQ Director Steven Chester said the agency would take public reaction seriously as it works to “ensure this project is as protective of the environment as it can be.”
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The Detroit News/Detnews.com
Detroit News Lansing Bureau
By Gary Heinlein
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Environmentalists question whether regulators are sacrificing wilderness for a few jobs.

It’s the classic confrontation between jobs and the environment in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

State environmental regulators gave tentative approval Tuesday to a nickel mine northwest of Marquette, leading to charges the state plans to sacrifice pristine wilderness for a relatively small number of paychecks. Kennecott Minerals officials predict the mine will create 120 jobs.

The Department of Environmental Quality will hold public hearings in March and make a final decision in the spring.

“The governor campaigned on moving the economy of Michigan forward and protecting the state’s natural resources,” said Marvin Roberson, a 16-year U.P. resident who works for the Sierra Club.

He was on Granholm’s committee to rewrite state mining laws and says this proposal is deficient.

“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 said.
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01/10/07 WASHINGTON – The following statement regarding the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality’s ruling on the Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company’s proposal for sulfide mining in Marquette County, may be attributed to Congressman Bart Stupak (D-Menominee):

“While I support mining, which has benefited the Upper Peninsula economy, the sulfide mining process raises questions that must be addressed. I remain concerned that the proposed mine could have a negative effect on the Lake Superior watershed, the Yellow Dog River, the local community and the ecology of the area.

“The proposed mine should only be approved if the Kennecott Company can prove that their operations will not degrade the water, resources and public health of northern Marquette County. The Kennecott Company should also be willing to provide financial assurance up front in case future environmental remediation is necessary.”

The Mining Journal
By JOHN PEPIN, Journal Staff Writer
Published: Tuesday, January 09, 2007

MARQUETTE — The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality gave preliminary approval of permits for a controversial Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company underground nickel mine on the Yellow Dog Plains in northern Marquette County.

More public comment and hearings will be held before a final decision on whether to grant the mining company’s mining, air and water quality permits is made by the DEQ later this year.

“We have made a preliminary decision that this project meets conditions under the law,” said Robert McCann, a DEQ spokesman in Lansing.

The DEQ decision announced today follows an extensive review of Kennecott’s application, supporting documents and public input on the project.

“Kennecott is very pleased with the DEQ’s preliminary decision,” said Jon Cherry, Kennecott’s manager of environment and government affairs. “We look forward to the remainder of the process.”
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