Once again, the Army Corps of Engineers has objected to Kennecott’s planned ore hauling road, in Marquette County. The road project, formerly called “Woodland Road,” but now going by “County Road 595” and applied for by the county road commission, “is deficient in several areas,” according to a letter dated March 29, sent from the Corps’ Detroit office to the Environmental Protection Agency.
The letter makes clear that the “the primary beneficiary of the route as proposed would be Kennecott.” According to the Corps, 595 “is the most direct route from the Eagle Mine to Kennecott’s ore processing facility,” in Humboldt Township, so the road plan should be clear it would be built largely to service Kennecott’s mining operations.
Army Corps Objects to Kennecott Haul Road
April 15, 2012
Leave a Comment » | 
Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: army corps of engineers, EPA, haul road, Kennecott, marquette county, Rio Tinto | 
Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Interactive Quiz: Busting Rio Tinto’s Mythmaking
April 27, 2011
Time to sit down with the kids and get your thinking caps on for LSMN’s first-ever interactive quiz. Read the rest of this entry »
1 Comment | Kennecott-Rio Tinto, Uncategorized | Tagged: bart stupak, deq, hardrock mining, Kennecott, michigan legislature, quiz, Rio Tinto, sulfide mining | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Michigan DEQ-Turned Rio Tinto Employee Talks About Clean Water
January 28, 2011Kristen Mariuzza, who worked for the Michigan DEQ, reviewed Rio Tinto’s wastewater treatment plans, and signed off on them, began working for the company shortly after approving their plan. Here, in this TV6 PR piece on Rio “right on schedule” Tinto, Mariuzza explains the plan she approved and now works on will protect water quality.
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: deq, dnr, dnre, Eagle Mine, hardrock mining, Kennecott, lake superior, Michigan, mining, Rio Tinto, river, sulfide mining, wastewater, water, yellow dog plains | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Marquette County Officials Discuss Plan to Build Rio Tinto’s Ore Hauling Road
January 28, 2011from Headwaters:
Yesterday, some local elected officials met with the Marquette County Road Commission to discuss whether or not to move forward on Rio Tinto’s County Road 595/Woodland Road ore hauling project. The meeting was closed to the public. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: Eagle Mine, Kennecott, marquette, Michigan, mining, Rio Tinto, woodland road | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Rio Tinto Responds to Questions on Ore Hauling Plan
January 28, 2011from Headwaters:
Following reporting by Headwaters that Rio Tinto’s original ore hauling transportation route for its Eagle Mine called for the company to access existing rail networks and avoiding trucking transportation through city streets, the company now has a response. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: Eagle Mine, ishpeming, Kennecott, marquette, Michigan, mining, negaunee, Rio Tinto, upper peninsula, woodland road, yellow dog | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Article on Flambeau Mine Lawsuit
January 25, 2011from Keweenaw Now:
Two citizen groups — the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council and the Center for Biological Diversity — and Laura Gauger (formerly Furtman), who is a member of both groups, recently filed a Clean Water Act citizen suit against Flambeau Mining Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto / Kennecott, over its partially reclaimed Flambeau Mine near Ladysmith, Wis.
To read the rest of Michele Bourdieu’s article visit Keweenaw Now.
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: center for biological diversity, clean water act, flambeau mine, Kennecott, Rio Tinto, rusk county, Wisconsin, wisconsin resources protection council | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Elected Officials Ask Commission to Consider Rail Option for Rio Tinto Hauling Plan
January 25, 2011Marquette County road commissioners were told tonight that Rio Tinto’s currently-approved and original ore hauling plan does not involve heavy truck traffic through Marquette, but instead delivery to the LS&I rail line, northwest of Marquette, that avoids heavy truck traffic through the streets of Marquette, Negaunee and Ishpeming.
“I don’t understand why the road and some of the transportation issues that are being raised now were not raised when Kennecott first put in their mine transportation application initially, and which was amproved,” said County Commissioner Mike Quayle, reading from a personal statement. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: Eagle Mine, Kennecott, marquette county, mining, Rio Tinto, woodland road | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Mining Road Plan Must Have Public Priorities, Not Rio Tinto Profits, in Mind
January 24, 2011Editorial from Headwaters on the Rio Tinto ore hauling controversy:
Last week Rio Tinto announced plans to drop its pursuit of the 22-mile 595/Woodland Road to haul ore from its Eagle Mine to the Humboldt Mill, in Marquette County. The company’s project director, Andrew Ware, claimed Rio Tinto will now “move forward with the originally designated route” and drive through the city streets of Marquette.
Problem is, Rio Tinto doesn’t really have an approved route to do so. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: Eagle Mine, Kennecott, marquette, Michigan, Rio Tinto | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Calling Kennecott’s Haul Road Bluff
January 24, 2011I’d like to call Kennecott’s bluff.
It’s likely Kennecott isn’t even fully considering the “new” haul route through Marquette. It’s more likely a red herring – a manipulation to try to force public sentiment back the other way – to get the original road–595–approved while skirting around the law and not sharing all of the alternatives with the public.
Why bluff? Well, for the same reasons you might in a game of poker, to provoke a fold by an opponent who holds a better hand. Kennecott is trying to use the “new” route to get locals to argue their case for them. Third party advocacy is preferable to direct corporate advocacy, especially when it has the potential to help eliminate federal involvement. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: Eagle Mine, haul road, Kennecott, Rio Tinto, woodland road | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
Opinion: On the road again – concerning the Kennecott haul road
January 24, 2011by mining expert Jack Parker (posted from Keweenaw Now):
Those who discuss and argue about the best and worst haul-road proposals are working for Kennecott. They have been duped — by “intelligence” at Rio Tinto/Kennecott — into making the topic appear to be acceptable and legitimate. It is neither acceptable nor legitimate. Don’t feel bad — they do it all the time, world-wide. Big budget!
My main contention is that Kennecott does not have a permit for any road, anywhere; and they know it, so they avoid that topic and divert the attention of opponents and innocent bystanders from it by fomenting discussions and arguments which are, in reality, pointless. Read the rest of this entry »
Leave a Comment » | Kennecott-Rio Tinto | Tagged: Jack Parker, Kennecott, Rio Tinto, woodland road | Permalink
Posted by LSMN
LSMN
Eve Divine
doncorvette
