Environmentalists Warn: Flint is Not A Fluke

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MARQUETTE – Grassroots environmental group Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) is calling on the Obama Administration to appoint an individual with proven leadership experience in environmental protection to fill the top position at the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Region 5 headquarters, following the resignation of EPA Administrator Susan Hedman. On Thursday January 21, Hedman tendered her resignation, after admitting to the Detroit News that “her office knew in April 2015 that Flint’s action to switch its water supply could cause increased pipe corrosion and spiked lead levels.”

“This situation is urgent and new leadership is critical. The EPA needs a leader with an environmental track record, not a career administrator or an industry insider. All Hedman did was throw the problem back at the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ). Meanwhile, an entire city was being poisoned,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s executive director. In December, MDEQ Director Dan Wyant resigned his position as the scope of the water crisis was revealed.

“What has happened in Flint is egregious,” said Michelle Halley, Marquette attorney and advisory board member for Save the Wild U.P. “The public who relies upon their elected officials and the agencies they oversee should know that the problems do not stop in Flint. The same attitude of disregard for citizens and the environment has repeated itself in DEQ decisions across our state for well over a decade.”

“Administrator Hedman’s resignation comes as no surprise, honestly,” said Kathleen Heideman, Save the Wild U.P. president. “I’m afraid the problems in Flint are just the tip of the iceberg. EPA Region 5 has been turning a blind eye to environmental degradations happening right here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well. For years, we’ve been calling on the EPA for transparency, accountability and enforcement actions.”

“Flint is not a fluke,” said Halley. “Flint reflects the failure of values and lack of thoroughness that has become habitual with Michigan politicians and environmental regulators. This happened in Michigan, and the EPA watched and did nothing.”

In 2015, Save the Wild U.P. brought water quality and permitting problems to the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency — specifically, discharges of industrial wastewater to the Salmon Trout River (from Eagle Mine), and the Middle Branch of the Escanaba River (from the Eagle Mine’s Humboldt Mill). SWUP petitioned the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board to uphold the Clean Water Act. The group also requested the veto authority of the EPA over wastewater discharges at the Humboldt Mill, which are known to pollute riparian wetlands of the Middle Branch of the Escanaba River.

“Instead of being a partner, EPA Region 5 worked to oppose the efforts of concerned citizens. Given new leadership, we hope the EPA will become a true environmental ally,” said Heideman.

“When it comes to water quality, mining companies view the U.P. as a Third-World economy; Lundin Mining called us a ‘low-risk jurisdiction’ when they purchased the Eagle Mine, referring to our historical experience with mining, the complicity of state regulators, and the EPA’s lack of interest in our environmental problems,” said Gail Griffith, professor emeritus of chemistry at Northern Michigan University and Save the Wild U.P. board member.

“Why hasn’t the EPA been more responsive? Politics and poverty are big factors, I think. In 2014, the median income in Humboldt MI was less than $36,000; the median income in Flint was over $49,000. Yoopers make the residents of Flint look wealthy,” said Maxwell.

“It took the poisoning of hundreds of poor children to demonstrate that the leaders of both EPA Region 5 and Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality were incapable of properly managing those organizations. Why did it take a catastrophe after we provided an abundance of evidence over the last 5 years demonstrating that they were inept?” said Jeffery Loman, former federal oil regulator and Save the Wild U.P. advisory board member. “The EPA has been too busy commemorating, celebrating and congratulating — mostly themselves — to care about enforcing water quality.”

“Our message is simple,” said Maxwell. “Michigan and the Great Lakes deserve real environmental leadership. We look forward to establishing a positive working relationship with EPA Region 5 in 2016.”

Founded in 2004, Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to preserving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s unique cultural and environmental resources. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup.

Environmentalists Tally Ongoing Pollution Concerns at White Pine Mine

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MARQUETTE — Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) has submitted written comment to Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), after reviewing the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit #MI0006114 for Copper Range Co. (White Pine Mine). SWUP is deeply concerned that the permit lacks enforcement. The permit conditions appear insufficiently protective of aquatic life, given the well-documented and devastating history of legacy mining contamination at the Copper Range Co. (White Pine Mine) facility. The hydrological and ecological health of the surrounding Mineral River watershed, including the receiving waters listed in the permit (Perch Creek), have been ecologically impaired. Human-wrought landscape changes have permanently altered the watershed, to the point that Perch Creek now exists only to receive untreated wastewater discharges —that is, it has a “flow” volume of 0.

The industrial discharges authorized by this permit play a well-established role in transporting pollutants to Lake Superior, including contaminants such as chloride and copper. Given the long-term and ongoing nature of these discharges — mine dewatering without end, brines containing toxic amounts of metals and salts, and the lack of a industrial wastewater treatment facility — SWUP raised several key concerns.

First, the NPDES permit is intended to be an enforceable tool for maintaining surface water quality, however, this permit lets the polluter “report” contaminants rather than setting strict limits for copper (“report only” through 2018), dissolved copper, total hardness, total organic carbon, acute toxicity, chronic toxicity, total suspended solids, total chlorides, outfall observations, mercury, arsenic, cadmium — all of these contaminants are listed as “report” only. Given the egregious history of this facility, chloride in particular needs to be tightly controlled.

Second, the permit’s “allowable” copper levels appear detrimental to the Mineral River aquatic ecosystems; this watershed is already identified by the State of Michigan as “impaired” by copper. Impaired waters are those identified as “not attaining all designated uses” according to Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act.

Third, it is unclear what percentage of leachate — water contaminated by contact with toxic metals — is allowable in the final effluent discharge. This NPDES permit authorizes the discharge of “mine dewatering” (brine water), “leachate from an on-site repository” (slag from historic copper milling or smelting), and “stormwater runoff.”  The actual amount of stormwater runoff is unspecified, but “until the expiration date of this permit, the permittee is authorized to discharge an unspecified amount of stormwater runoff from lands on Michigan’s List of Environmental Contamination.”

Finally, a NPDES tool must be enforceable. Since this facility has no wastewater treatment plant, compliance can’t be enforced. While the permit would “add monitoring” for arsenic, cadmium, silver, the monitoring is “report only” so the prevention of pollution is not enforced.

Mining at the site began in 1879. Historically, the White Pine Mine facility polluted the Mineral River (via Perch Creek) and Lake Superior with industrial wastewater discharges containing toxic amounts of salts and metals. Discharges included tailings, contact water, and brine pumped from underground mine workings.  In 1983, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducted a study of the mine’s dewatering plume entering Lake Superior at the mouth of the Mineral River, and found levels of chloride at 2,000 mg/L, compared to natural levels of chloride in Lake Superior of 1 mg/L. This single source of pollution accounted for “35-40% of total US tributary load of chloride to Lake Superior.”

In 1989, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) stated that “flow in the Mineral River downstream of the Perch Creek confluence is primarily tailings impoundment effluent from the White Pine mine.” 1991, the MDNR described “macroinvertebrate abundance as low and much reduced” in the Mineral River due to the mine’s brine discharges. In 1992, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) visited the White Pine Mine, and noted that despite extensive tailings impoundment basins filled with mine effluent  — the tailings basins are visible from space — “no groundwater monitoring” was required at the site. It is now understood that brine rising in the former underground mine poses a critical threat to the local groundwater aquifer, so the mine (currently owned by Copper Range Co., pending purchase by Highland Copper) is required to continue dewatering.

Despite years of remediation efforts, the Mineral River is still being polluted by the White Pine facility. According to the EPA’s 2011 “Discharge Monitoring Report Pollutant Loading Tool,” the Mineral River is listed as a top receiving watershed for industrial effluent discharges, polluted by a staggering “total Toxic Weighted Pounds Equivalent” of 1,020 pounds per year of “ore mining and dressing” waste. This NPDES permit appears to facilitate an ongoing unregulated point-source of pollution to Mineral River and Lake Superior.

The Upper Peninsula is witnessing a resurgence in mining and mineral exploration which threatens multiple watersheds in the Lake Michigan and Lake Superior basins. This resurgence also threatens the treaty protected natural and cultural resources of federally-recognized tribal nations and highlights the state’s responsibility in maintaining government-to-government negotiations when these resources are threatened. Playing off the area’s history of economic boom-and-bust cycles, mining companies move in promising good jobs and a watchful eye to the environment — but mining and milling bring short-term profits at the expense of legacy environmental contamination. The White Pine mine site, and the NPDES permit currently under DEQ’s review, perfectly illustrate the long term environmental hazards of mining.

“The DEQ might as well build a drainage pipe from the northernmost tailings basin of the old White Pine Mine to the Lake Superior shoreline and have it done with. The facility authorized by this NPDES permit really has no water treatment plan, and no true “mixing zone” for effluent, given the low volume of the Mineral River. Let’s be honest: historically — and for the foreseeable future — this site is polluting Lake Superior,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s executive director.

Founded in 2004, Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to preserving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s unique cultural and environmental resources. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org or follow SWUP on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or Twitter @savethewildup.

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SWUP Asks DEQ To Extend Public Comment, Back Forty Mine Application

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UPDATE

 

 

The DEQ has extended the Public Comment period for the “Back Forty” sulfide mine permit application —new deadline is Tuesday, February 16, 2016.

*

Save the Wild U.P. has formally asked the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to extend the Public Comment period (currently set for February 2, 2016) for the mine permit application submitted to the DEQ for the Aquila Resources “Back Forty” sulfide mine project.

Save the Wild U.P. cites the following reasons for the request:

  • Key environmental stakeholders — including tribal members, grassroots organizations and local residents — have reported a range of technical difficulties related to the mine permit application documents: confusions related to non-functioning or misleading URLs, poor functionality (ie: Tables of Contents without internal links), PDF compilation issues (causing viewer applications to randomly ‘skip’ pages while reading), excessive file size of individual PDF files (100MB+, and a single file containing more than 20,000 pages, crashing PDF readers or causing memory errors), residually copy-protected text, etcetera. Altogether, these represent inexcusable obstacles to public participation.
  • The applicant did not submit their primary file — Mine Permit Application Volume I. — in a format usable to the public: the text was copy-protected. The DEQ was notified of this problem by Save the Wild U.P. on December 23rd, and to this date (January 6, 2016) no solution or explanation has been provided by the DEQ.
  • Total file size is over 37,500 pages, not including an AQD “Permit to Install” (New Source Review) which is also in a public comment phase, but not included in DEQ links.
  • Save the Wild U.P. was not notified by the DEQ when this mine permit application went to Public Notice.
  • No information is provided concerning a key “land swap” proposed between Aquila Resources and the State of Michigan, for parcels critical to the mine permit application’s site design. The public has not been informed about the land swap. A direct question about the land swap, asked at the DEQ public meeting in Stephenson on January 5, 2016, could not be answered by the DEQ staff. Until the underlying “land swap” has been publicly reviewed, the mine permit application review should be put on hold.
  • Numerous concerns have been raised about the ‘timing of the permit’ and while the DEQ may not have had control over the application’s original submission date, serious consideration must be given to the holidays, which resulted in DEQ staff being unavailable to resolve concerns in a timely fashion.
  • New information, not disclosed in the permit application materials, is coming to light about the extent to which mapped archaeological resources of enormous cultural value are in the path of this project. The Back Forty mine application threatens to destroy, disrupt or inflict significant damage to Menominee Tribe’ treaty-protected natural and cultural resources. These damages are culturally offensive and unethical. It is in the State of Michigan’s best interest to grant stakeholders additional time for permit review, given the applicant’s apparent lack of full disclosure. The loss of these resources would reverberate well beyond any cultural or political boundaries.

 

SWUP to Screen “Winona: A Copper Mining Ghost Town” by Michael Loukinen

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MARQUETTE— Grassroots environmental group Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) will host a special screening of Michael Loukinen’s documentary Winona: A Copper Mining Ghost Town. The film will be shown on Thursday, January 7, from 6 to 8 p.m., in the Baraga Conference Room located at 129 W. Baraga Street, Marquette. Note: $5 cover for the film screening.

Michael Loukinen, who serves on Save the Wild U.P.’s Advisory Board, has also made copies of the film for sale at the screening, with proceeds to benefit Save the Wild U.P.’s work.

“You can dig out the heart of a community, but you can’t kill its spirit,” said Chip Truscon, SWUP board member.

“I really look forward to seeing our supporters at this screening of Winona,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP executive director and contributing photographer to the project. “There’s a poignant human story here, but the film also acknowledges a dirty little secret – when the mining boom ends, the U.P. is always left with struggling communities and collapsed economies, in addition to a polluted environment.”

ABOUT THE FILM: Winona, Michigan, a former copper mining town 33 miles south of Houghton is fast becoming a “ghost town.” The town’s population has shrunk from an estimated 1,000+ in 1920 to perhaps 13 residents today. Noted documentary filmmaker and sociologist, Dr. Michael Loukinen has created this beautiful, fascinating and elegiac film documenting the community’s history and demise. More info: http://www.upnorthfilms.com/HOME.html

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER: Michael Loukinen is an emeritus professor of sociology at Northern Michigan University. He started by trying to teach using 35mm slide presentations. Gradually, he learned 16mm filmmaking, working with experienced filmmakers such as Tom Davenport, Debora Dickson, Kathleen Laughlin and especially Miroslav Janek (Czech Republic). Recently he has teamed up with digital cinema artist, Grant Guston. Most of his films are about the traditional cultures of the Lake Superior Region: Finnish Americans, Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) and wilderness workers (loggers, trappers, and fishers). He has also made three sociological intervention films concerning at-risk youth in alternative schools, adults with disabilities who are fighting for independent lifestyles, and the prevention of vehicular homicide. His films have won both academic and artistic awards. His films have won numerous awards and have been featured at film festivals across the country.

Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots organization dedicated to defending clean water and wild places from the threat of sulfide mining, and preserving the Upper Peninsula’s unique culture. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup. 

 

MDEQ Needs Real Leadership in 2016

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MARQUETTE – Grassroots environmental group Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) is calling on Governor Snyder to appoint an individual with proven experience in environmental protection to fill the leadership vacuum at Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), following Director Dan Wyant’s resignation. Wyant resigned, along with a top MDEQ public relations staffer, after a State Task Force blamed MDEQ for Flint’s water quality crisis.

“This situation is urgent and new leadership is critical. The MDEQ needs a leader with an environmental track record, not a career administrator or an industry insider. The clock is ticking on a number of environmental permits currently under review by the MDEQ — including a mine permit application for what could be Upper Michigan’s second sulfide mine,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s executive director.

“Under Dan Wyant’s tenure, the MDEQ made decisions that benefited industry, at the sake of the environment — he was hand-picked for that purpose by Governor Snyder. Wyant was totally incapable of managing the agency. Snyder needs to be held accountable for appointing Wyant, just as he should now be held accountable for the egregious mismanagement of Flint’s water quality crisis,” said Jeffery Loman, former federal oil regulator and Keweenaw Bay Indian Community tribal member.

“At the highest level, MDEQ leaders have repeatedly failed to protect water quality in Michigan. The MDEQ can’t go on treating our priceless rivers like sewer pipes, useful only for flushing away wastewater discharges,” said Kathleen Heideman, SWUP president.

“Michigan visitors, residents, and wildlife alike depend on clean water — for everything from habitats to recreation to drinking water. The Governor has apologized for the DEQ’s failure to ensure that the city of Flint had a safe water supply, for disregarding the concerns of local citizens and denying there was a problem. Now we hope he gets serious about reorganizing the MDEQ so that it works for the people of this state, instead of benefiting the big corporate polluters they’re supposed to be regulating,” said Steve Garske, SWUP board member.

“Lacking DEQ leadership, the task of defending clean water and wild places has fallen to grassroots organizations like Save the Wild U.P., F.O.L.K., Front 40, Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, and so on,” said Maxwell.

“I applaud the concerned citizens in Flint who spoke out in order to sound the alarm about their contaminated water — that’s grassroots activism. These ordinary citizens are truly heroes. It’s clear that the EPA only got involved in Flint because of citizen efforts, while the DEQ tried to cover up the problem,” said Heideman.

“Our message to Governor Snyder is simple,” said Maxwell. “In 2016, Michigan deserves real environmental leadership.”

Founded in 2004, Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to preserving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s unique cultural and environmental resources. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup.

 

Environmentalists Criticize Open Pit Sulfide Mine Planned for Menominee River

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MARQUETTE – In November, Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) learned that Aquila Resources (Aquila) submitted a mine permit application to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for their “Back Forty Project” (“Back 40” in some sources, including MDEQ’s website). Aquila describes the proposed mine as “gold- and zinc-rich” but their investor materials list several other “metals of primary interest” including lead, copper and silver. The Back Forty, a volcanogenic massive sulfide deposit, also contains additional toxic metals, arsenic, corrosive sulfosalts, and radioactive elements including uranium. Aquila’s mine permit application has been deemed “administratively complete” by the MDEQ.

Several grassroots environmental organizations, including Save the Wild U.P. and the Front 40, with local property owners, have been deeply critical of the Back Forty proposal for years, contending that an open pit sulfide mine, with on-site processing and tailings, will pollute the adjacent Menominee River. Tribal natural resources, including archeological sites, are also threatened by any mining operation on the Menominee River, the largest watershed drainage system in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. According to the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, “our origin or creation begins at the mouth of the Menominee River.”

“With a watershed of over 4,000 square miles (4,070 square miles with 2,618 square miles located in Michigan and 1,452 square miles located in Wisconsin, according to the Environmental Protection Agency) and more than 100 tributaries, the Menominee is the U.P.’s largest river system. It supports large populations of smallmouth bass, walleye and northern pike, and provides spawning habitat for sturgeon. Nearby Shakey Lakes Savanna is one of the few intact savanna ecosystems left in the Upper Midwest, and supports rare prairie plants and abundant wildlife. Mounds, garden beds, and other remnants of an ancient Native American village are also clearly evident. Aquila Resources couldn’t have chosen a worse place for a mine,” said Steve Garske, biologist and Save the Wild U.P. board member.

“I question the wisdom of digging an open pit mine on the edge of a river,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s executive director. “These metals are wrapped in an enormous amount of sulfides, so the risks to the U.P.’s clean water are real, unavoidable, and numerous.”

“In describing the Back Forty project, Aquila doesn’t mention the sulfides and pyrites in their rock. With a sulfide mine on a riverbank, acid mine drainage is a real threat. Aquila has no experience dealing with acid mine drainage. Back Forty would be their very first project, anywhere,” said Maxwell.

According to Ron Henriksen, spokesman for the Menominee River Front 40 environmental group, “This is not a done deal. Even though Aquila’s permit was deemed ‘administratively complete’ by the MDEQ, the company must comply with Lake Township’s ‘Mineral Extraction Ordinance’ and ‘Land Usage Approval.’ Front 40 will continue to do what is necessary to ensure that a metallic sulfide mine is not allowed to impact our rivers, lakes, groundwater and lands.”

“As a long-time Lake Township landowner and taxpayer, I am concerned that a foreign company can come in and dictate, through, what appears to be a flawed permit process, what will happen to the area,” said Marla Tuinstra of Lake Township.

In opposing this sulfide mine proposal, Save the Wild U.P. cites numerous threats to the Menominee River watershed. “Aquila’s press release never mentioned the Menominee River. That’s a very bad sign. This project would literally undermine the Menominee River – first with an open pit mine, and later with an underground mine, with milling and tailings proposed for the site as well. Furthermore, cyanide will be used in the processing, exponentially increasing the risks. I applaud all of the citizens who are fighting the Back Forty project, and defending Michigan’s clean water,” said Kathleen Heideman, SWUP president.

“We still have the opportunity to help make “Pure Michigan” a reality, rather than just a catchy slogan,” said Jim Voss, a resident of Lake Township.

OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED

Public Notice – Concerned citizens are asked to review the proposed Mine Permit Application, now available by following directions on the MDEQ website: http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3311_18442—,00.html

Public Meeting – The MDEQ will hold a Public Meeting concerning Aquila’s Mine Permit Application. The meeting takes place on January 5, 2016, from 6 to 9 p.m. CST, at Stephenson High School, W526 Division Street in Stephenson, Michigan.

Public Forum – Save the Wild U.P. and Front 40 will host “Don’t Undermine the Menominee River!” an informational forum reviewing the Back Forty sulfide mine proposal, and what’s at stake. The forum will take place on Wednesday, February 17, 2016, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Shiras Room of the Peter White Public Library in Marquette.

UPDATE

Public Comment Deadline has been EXTENDED to February 16! – Concerned citizens and other interested persons are urged to submit written comments by mail or e-mail until 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday, February 16, 2016. Mail your comments to MDEQ Back Forty Mine Comments, Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals, 1504 West Washington Street, Marquette, Michigan, 49855; or by email to Joe Maki: makij3@michigan.gov

NEW:  DEQ Information Session – MDEQ staff have been asked to hold an additional educational session for the public, concerning Aquila’s Back Forty Mine Permit Application. This meeting is tentatively schedule to take place on March 9th, 2016, at 7p.m. CST, at the Lake Township Hall Co. Rd. 577/G-12, Stephenson, MI 49887. For confirmation, contact Joe Maki: makij3@michigan.gov – for directions, contact Lake Township at 906-753-4385. 

Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots organization dedicated to defending clean water and wild places from the threat of sulfide mining, and to preserving the Upper Peninsula’s unique culture. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup

DEQ to hold Public Meeting on “Back Forty” mine permit application

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Grassroots organizations Save the Wild U.P. and the Menominee River Front 40 urge the public to attend an upcoming Public Meeting to be held by Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), regarding the Back Forty Mine proposed by Aquila Resources Inc. The proposed mine — an open-pit sulfide mine — would be located in Lake Township, Menominee County, Michigan, on the bank of the Menominee River.

According to the DEQ, “the application was submitted under the requirements of Part 632, Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mining, of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended. The MDEQ received the application on November 12, 2015, and determined it to be administratively complete on November 26, 2015. The purpose of the meeting is to provide an opportunity for interested parties to exchange information through informal discussions.”

The meeting will be held on January 5, 2016, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. CST, at Stephenson High School, W526 Division Street in Stephenson, Michigan. 

Concerned citizens and other interested persons are urged to submit written comments on Aquila’s Mine Permit Application by mail or e-mail until 5:00 P.M. Tuesday, February 2, 2016. Mail comments to DEQ Back Forty Mine Comments, Office of Oil, Gas, and Minerals, 1504 West Washington Street, Marquette, Michigan, 49855; or by email to Joe Maki:  makij3@michigan.gov

Printed copies of the proposed Back Forty mine permit application may be reviewed in person at the following locations:

MDEQ Upper Peninsula District Office
1504 West Washington Street, Marquette, MI.
Contact Tina Coluccio, 906-228-4524

MDEQ Office of Geological Survey
525 W. Allegan St., Lansing, Michigan 48933
Contact Deana Lawrence, 517-284-6823

Lake Township Hall
Co. Rd. 577/G-12, Stephenson, MI 49887
Contact 906-753-4385

Concerned citizens may also view the the proposed Back Forty mine permit application online, by following the DEQ’s detailed instructions here:
http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,4561,7-135-3311_18442—,00.html

The Menominee River’s Front 40 environmental group, founded in 2003, seeks to ensure that metallic sulfide mining operations are not allowed to adversely impact the Menominee River and surrounding lakes and streams. Save the Wild U.P., founded in 2004, is a grassroots organization dedicated to defending clean water and wild places in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula from the environmental degradations of sulfide mining.

Open Letter To Governor Mark Dayton Regarding Your Recent Tour Of Eagle Mine In Upper Michigan

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As published in the Minnesota StarTribune:

When talking PolyMet, don’t be fooled by Michigan’s Eagle Mine

You call this a good example of environmental protection?  Hardly. This facility poses threats to the surrounding air, water and land. 
___________________________

Dear Gov. Mark Dayton,

When we learned you’d be touring Eagle Mine in Michigan’s wild Upper Peninsula, we — Board and Advisory Board members of grassroots environmental group Save the Wild U.P. — asked to meet with you, to share key concerns about the Eagle Mine. We’d like you to make an informed decision on the PolyMet project. Since you were unable to meet with us during your visit, we’re sharing our concerns publicly.

You toured Eagle Mine’s facility, which the sulfide mining industry deems an environmentally responsible sulfide mine. Did you happen to notice the newly constructed, heavy-duty paved haul road you traveled on from Big Bay, pavement which ends at the gates of Eagle Mine? Under Michigan’s Part 632 Legislation governing sulfide mining, that road should have been regulated as a mining haul road, subject to an environmental impact assessment and permit revisions. Through a series of political-corporate sleights of hand, however, the haul road was paid for by Eagle Mine, but constructed as a County Road.

Did Eagle show you their air pollution? For example, did Eagle proudly show you the Main Vent Air Raise on the bank of the Salmon Trout River, a wild blue-ribbon trout stream flowing swiftly down to Lake Superior? During the mine’s permitting phase, Eagle pledged to use environmentally responsible baghouse filters to remove heavy metals, sulfide rock particles, exhaust from underground equipment, and cancer-causing particulates ejected from the mine following blasting. Did they mention that they changed the design, revised the permit, and removed all filters? Now, twice daily, the underground sulfide orebody is blasted, and a plume of heavy metals is blown from the stack at high velocity. The pollutants are carried on the winds, falling out over the surrounding environment. Only one stack test was ever done, more than a year ago, prior to the mine becoming fully-operational. Twice daily, we are told, someone stands at the vent site and views the plume to rate how dark it is, a sort of visual opacity test — although one blast takes place at night. The actual contents of Eagle’s air pollution plume remain entirely unassessed and unregulated.

Did Eagle Mine show you the Salmon Trout River, a pristine, groundwater-fed river? At their treated wastewater infiltration system, the mine’s deionized wastewater is returned to the shallow groundwater aquifer, where it bonds with metals in the ground as it percolates. Almost immediately, it is outside of Eagle’s fenceline. Did Eagle Mine explain they are utilizing groundwater as if it were a sewer pipe, conveying wastewater directly to springs which feed the East Branch of the Salmon Trout River? We’d like you to understand that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA have allowed Eagle Mine to use the wrong permit — a Groundwater Discharge Permit, meeting only human drinking water values, rather than an NPDES Clean Water Act permit, with the more sensitive pollution limits for copper and other contaminants needed to protect macroinvertebrates and other stream life, including trout. We hope you learned there are no monitoring wells tracking the movement of Eagle’s wastewater toward these critical springs. The Salmon Trout River will be harmed — it’s simply a question of when.

Eagle Mine LLC’s milling facility, the Humboldt Mill, also poses multiple threats to clean water, with discharges from its tailings degrading the Escanaba River watershed, and the Lake Michigan basin. Note that Lundin Mining has provided a mere $23.2 million in total financial assurances for both the mine ($18m) and the mill ($5.2m) — a tiny sum, inadequate to fund even an EPA cleanup investigation.

The sulfide mining industry would like you to ignore these serious issues — impacts to the air, water, and land, as well as grossly inadequate bonding assurances — while falsely portraying the Eagle Mine as environmentally protective. The Eagle Mine should be viewed as a dire warning, rather than a good example. We urge you to deny the PolyMet permit, and protect Minnesota’s most valuable natural resource: clean water.

Kathleen Heideman, President of Save the Wild U.P.
president@savethewildup.org

Board of Directors, Save the Wild U.P.
Advisory Board, Save the Wild U.P.

 

Founded in 2004, Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to preserving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s unique cultural and environmental resources. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup.

SWUP To Host Winter Gala, Fred Rydholm Sisu Award To Be Announced

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MARQUETTE— Grassroots environmental group, Save the Wild U.P. (SWUP) will hold their Winter Gala at the Steinhaus Market on Saturday, December 5th, from 6pm to 9pm. SWUP kicks off their 12th year of environmental advocacy by hosting an evening filled with locally sourced cuisine, music, keynote speaker Louis Galdieri and a Silent Auction. The Winter Gala is an opportunity for SWUP to update the community on their environmental work, while celebrating the hard work of their supporters, and members of the creative community. Tickets for the event are available at both Steinhaus locations or by calling (906) 235-9251.

During the evening filled with music, food and information, Save the Wild U.P. will announce the Fred Rydholm Sisu Award. Presenting the award will be Fred Rydholm’s son, Daniel.

The Fred Rydholm Sisu Award was previously awarded to educator and environmental activist Gail Griffith. Save the Wild U.P. established the award to recognize the dedication and perseverance of community-minded activists and environmental stewards. “We’ve created this award in honor of the late Fred Rydholm, who wholly embodied SWUP’s environmental values, as well as the yooper term sisu — perseverance, grit, resilience — a concept created by Finnish immigrants to the U.P.,” said Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s Executive Director.

Maxwell, who began her work with Save the Wild U.P. as a grassroots outreach coordinator, running SWUP’s Summer Fellows program, stepped into the role of Interim Director last year, and was recently named Executive Director. “I am honored to serve in this capacity, to take up a torch that so many of our community leaders have carried. Environmental issues desperately need our attention in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and I am grateful to contribute whatever I can to the community and the region that I love,” said Maxwell.

Save the Wild U.P.’s Winter Gala will feature hearty appetizers and desserts from Steinhaus Market, live music from local jazz combo Soul Pasty, a spectacular Silent Auction featuring original work by dozens of U.P. artists, artisans and small business owners, environmental solidarity and issue updates.

The evening’s keynote speaker will be Louis V. Galdieri, writer, filmmaker and co-director of the acclaimed “1913 Massacre,” a documentary film which “captures the last living witnesses of the 1913 (Italian Hall) tragedy and reconstructs Calumet’s past from individual memories, family legends and songs, tracing the legacy of the tragedy to the present day, when the town – out of work, out of money, out of luck – still struggles to come to terms with this painful episode from its past.”

Following the Winter Gala, Galidieri will present his film with a special Q & A session at the Peter White Public Library on December 7th at 7pm in the Community Room, as part of their “DocuMonday Meets the Filmmaker Series.” The event is free of charge, for more information call 226-4318.

“I really look forward to seeing our supporters at the Gala” said Kathleen Heideman, SWUP president. “Save the Wild U.P. worked hard all year, reviewing permits and mineral leases, making a federal appeal to the Environmental Protection Agency urging them to require a wastewater discharge permit for Eagle Mine that would actually protect the Salmon Trout River, engaging regulators at Public Hearings, leading well-attended hikes to remote wild places and pristine wetlands, and educating a whole new generation of environmental leaders! Critical work remains to be done, of course — but there’s much to celebrate as we enter a new year of environmental advocacy.”

Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots organization dedicated to defending clean water and wild places from the threat of sulfide mining and to preserving the Upper Peninsula’s unique culture. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup.

Louis V. Galdieri and Alexandra Maxwell are available for interview. For more information or to schedule an interview call (906) 662-9987 or write info@savethewildup.org.

PUBLICITY MATERIALS

Photograph of Louis V. Galdieri: http://bit.ly/1MoWZT0

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Suggested caption: “Louis V. Galdieri will be the keynote speaker for Save the Wild U.P.’s upcoming Winter Gala on December 5th.”

Bio: Writer and filmmaker Louis V. Galdieri co-produced and co-directed 1913 Massacre, the 2012 feature-length documentary about the Italian Hall disaster and the Woody Guthrie song it inspired. He blogs regularly about the ethics of mining and the new mining around Lake Superior.

Photograph of Soul Pasty: http://bit.ly/SoulPastyImage2
Suggested caption for band photo:  “Soul Pasty will provide musical entertainment at Save the Wild U.P.’s Winter Gala at the Steinhaus Market. Left to Right, Harry South on bass, Bud Clowers on drums, Travis Swanson on guitar and Zach Ott on keys.”

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Bio and Photograph of Alexandra Maxwell, Save the Wild U.P.’s new Executive Director: http://savethewildup.org/about/board-staff/

 

Tell the DNR: Don’t Undermine Superior Heartland

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

320 Acre Mineral Lease Would Undermine Environment, Historic Site

MARQUETTE – According to grassroots environmental organization Save the Wild U.P., a new mineral lease request on the Yellow Dog Plains stands to threaten both the environment and a local historical site. North American Nickel, Inc. of Canada is seeking a mineral lease from the State of Michigan for 320 acres of public land (SW1/4; N1/2 SE1/4; W1/2 NW1/4, Section 35, T51N, R29W, Michigamme Township, Marquette County). The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) published the announcement of North American Nickel’s mineral lease application on September 11th, 2015, commencing a 30-day public comment period. North American Nickel has no experience operating in the United States.  They currently have mining projects in Sudbury, Canada and in Greenland.

The targeted land lies north of Triple A road, northwest of the Eagle Mine. Ecologically, the land supports jack pine forest habitat critical to the endangered Kirtland’s Warbler. The DNR lease review acknowledges the possible presence of endangered species, and notes the presence of a site of “archaeological significance.”

Historically, the land is connected with the Nels Andersen (sometimes spelled Anderson) family homestead, home to early Danish immigrants who settled on the Yellow Dog Plains in 1902. Prior to the 1900’s, the plains were frequented via a trail between L’Anse and Big Bay, used for hunting and berry-picking, with a strong pre-European Indigenous presence. These oral histories and other stories related to the Andersen site were recorded by the late historian and storyteller, C. Fred Rydholm, in Superior Heartland: A Backwoods History.

According to the DNR’s Management Plan for the Yellow Dog Plains, this area “provides multiple benefits including forest products, dispersed recreational activities, and provides habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species” and the DNR’s stated management priority in this area “is to continue to provide these multiple benefits while minimizing user conflicts.” The DNR’s stated priority for this land is NOT mineral exploration.

“Why does the State bother writing these land management plans?” asks Gail Griffith, emeritus professor of Chemistry at Northern Michigan University and SWUP board member. “Michigan regulators obviously believe that mineral exploration is always the most desirable land use — in every situation, no matter how it undermines or jeopardizes our public land, water, forestry, wildlife and fisheries.”

In their Management Plan, the DNR states that “almost all state lands are leased and extensive exploration has been conducted” but further notes “there is insufficient data to determine the glacial drift thickness” on the Yellow Dog Plains.

Northwest end of Yellow Dog Plains, site of a 320 acre mineral lease request by North American Nickel, Inc. of Canada. Source: Google Earth map.

Northwest end of Yellow Dog Plains, site of a 320 acre mineral lease request by North American Nickel, Inc. of Canada. Source: Google Earth map.

“Unfortunately, these ‘insufficiently-understood’ glacial sands contain a pristine aquifer — groundwater water unpolluted by any industry, until it flows east toward Eagle Mine,” said SWUP board member and botanist Steve Garske. “Groundwater from the Yellow Dog Plains aquifer feeds headwaters of several rivers and coldwater trout streams, and supports unique spring-fed ponds such as Andersen Lake, which provide key habitat for mammals, migratory birds, reptiles and amphibians, insects and native plants, including threatened species.”

“Once again, we’re asked to trust that the Department of Natural Resources will act as a responsible environmental steward, and that our clean water and natural resources are in good hands,” says Kathleen Heideman, SWUP’s president. “The public is not consulted when exploratory drilling and seismic blasting surveys are done, and regulators are not out in the field, keeping an eye on day-to-day exploration work. Mineral exploration is not a democratic process – there’s no accountability, and no transparency. The public wants an open and responsible process. Why won’t the DNR listen?”

In 2014, Eagle Mine made a similar request, seeking mineral rights to a parcel of public land along the Yellow Dog River. Working collectively, Save the Wild U.P., Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters called on the State of Michigan to hold a Public Hearing on the proposed lease. The groups asked the DNR to deny the mineral lease request, stating that “metallic mineral lease of this land would serve only the short-term goals of industry (…) once again, the State of Michigan seems wholly incapable of serving the public trust.” In response, the DNR simply sent out form letters, and approved the lease without notifying any of the organizations or individuals who had requested a hearing.

“It’s outrageous but true: Part 632 doesn’t restrict one square inch of Upper Michigan from sulfide mining and mineral exploration — the one mine permitted under Part 632 is a failure — continuing to lease state lands to international mining companies serves no proper purpose. We are peaceful and respectful people but we are no longer victims. We aren’t afraid of anything. I’m asking the State of Michigan to extend some respect for our treaty rights — deny this leading request,” writes Jeffery Loman, former federal oil regulator and Keweenaw Bay Indian Community tribal member.

In 2006, the Superior Watershed Partnership (SWP) recommended to “prohibit sulfide-based mining” on the Yellow Dog Plains, and they continue to stand by that recommendation. “The potential impacts to groundwater, surface water and Lake Superior are simply too great,” says Carl Lindquist, SWP’s executive director.

“It’s no surprise that another Canadian mining company is seeking to lease minerals,” says attorney Michelle Halley. “Save the Wild U.P., the Yellow Dog Watershed Preserve, and others have known that Eagle Mine was just the beginning of a regional mining development strategy. In the long term, the public will pay a high price for mining projects performed without adequate permitting, monitoring and enforcement.”

 “The Upper Peninsula is under attack, due to poorly-unregulated incremental industrial expansion. It’s a feeding-frenzy. Mineral leasing decisions are being made behind closed doors, regardless of their environmental or cultural impacts, and the comments of concerned citizens are ignored,” says Alexandra Maxwell, SWUP’s executive director. “The public perceives that the DNR is acting as a land broker for industry, and approval of this lease will only reinforce that perception. We urge the public to join us in asking the DNR to DENY this mineral lease request from North American Nickel.” 

Public comment is due by October 12th. Comments can be submitted by email to Karen Maidlow, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, at maidlowk@michigan.gov, or mailed directly to Karen Maidlow, Property Analyst, Minerals Management, DNR, P.O. Box 30452, Lansing, MI 48909.

SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY:

To raise awareness about the land threatened by this mineral lease request, Save the Wild U.P. will lead a hike to the site on Saturday, October 24th. Participants will visit Andersen homestead ruins and Andersen Lake, and hear a social history of the Yellow Dog Plains as recollected in the stories of Superior Heartland: A Backwoods History, by C. Fred Rydholm. Those interested in joining the hike can learn the details on SWUP’s facebook page, or by contacting rsvp@savethewildup.org. Our meet-up site will be Big Bay Outfitters at 12 pm. Tickets for this special hike are $10; all proceeds benefit Save the Wild U.P.’s work.

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Download event information: http://bit.ly/1WO2GNv

Founded in 2004, Save the Wild U.P. is a grassroots environmental organization dedicated to preserving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan’s unique cultural and environmental resources. For more information contact info@savethewildup.org or call (906) 662-9987. Get involved with SWUP’s work at savethewildup.org on Facebook at facebook.com/savethewildup or on Twitter @savethewildup.

Editors: the following map is available for use with this press release —

“Mineral Lease Request – Andersen Homestead”
(Google Map, interactive)
http://bit.ly/1GwH9zz

“Mineral Lease Request – Andersen Homestead”
(Google Earth map, static)
http://bit.ly/1hruWFN

Caption
North American Nickel, Inc, is seeking a new mineral lease for 320 acres of Public Land on the Yellow Dog Plains. Grassroots environmental group Save the Wild U.P. is urging the Michigan DNR to reject the mineral lease application, stating that it threatens to undermine critical habitat for the Kirtland’s Warbler, and a site of historical significance. The history of the area was well-documented by local historian C. Fred Rydholm, in Superior Heartland: A Backwoods History. The land is part of the Escanaba River State Forest and the Cedar Creek watershed.