by Michele Bourdieu
Marquette, Michigan – Administrative Law Judge Richard Patterson announced on
Eagle Rock, on the Yellow Dog Plains, near Big Bay; Photo courtesy Michele Bourdieu
Tuesday, Aug. 18, that he will uphold permits issued to Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) in 2007 for the company’s “Eagle Project,” a nickel and copper sulfide mine on the Yellow Dog Plains, with one critical exception that could nix the project or at the very least require a major overhaul of the mining plan.
Nonetheless, the petitioners in the case will likely appeal the portions of the permits not struck down or modified. Attorneys say the contested case record provides a remarkably strong basis for appeal.
In his decision, Patterson recommended moving the mine’s portal, or entryway, from Eagle Rock, a sacred outcropping with spiritual importance to local Native American tribes. Patterson stated that Kennecott and the MDEQ “did not properly address the impact on the sacred rock outcrop known as Eagle Rock” and suggested moving the mine’s entry portal away from the rock.
Susan LaFernier, Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) vice-president, said KBIC could not make a formal statement about the decision until the Tribal Council has time to review and discuss it.
“We’re still in the process of reviewing the decision,” LaFernier told Keweenaw Now today, Aug. 19. “It’s 178 pages.”
LaFernier spoke eloquently of the spiritual connection between Eagle Rock and the Ojibwe people at the Protect the Earth gathering at Eagle Rock on Aug. 2, 2009. More than 170 people participated in the event, which included a two-mile walk from the Yellow Dog River to Eagle Rock, Native American ceremonies and guest speakers.
To read the remainder of this article, by Michele Bourdieu, please visit the article page, at Keweenaw Now.
Click HERE for Kennecott-Rio Tinto’s press release
Judge Patterson’s Recommendation on Kennecott-Rio Tinto’s Eagle Project Mine Application.
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[...] See http://lakesuperiorminingnews.net/2009/08/19/616/. [...]
[...] approval, the MDEQ overstepped the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community’s treaty rights, and dismissed a 2009 ruling by Administrative Law Judge Richard Patterson, who found that Eagle Rock is a place of spiritual [...]
[...] Administrative Law Judge Richard Patterson stated that Rio Tinto and the MDEQ “did not properly address the impact on the sacred rock outcrop known as Eagle Rock” and suggested moving the mine’s entry portal away from the rock. During the contested case , [...]