Kennecott’s plans for a mine hauling road to connect its Eagle Mine with its Humboldt Mill has been in the works for nearly a decade. Last submitted as the “Woodland Road,” Kennecott is now getting the Marquette County Road Commission to submit it under a new name: “County Road 595.” Kennecott hopes that by presenting the mine hauling road as a public road, it can avoid scrutiny and get the road approved quickly.
Here are some talking points to use at the February 21 DEQ hearing on the road and to write your own comment letter. See the bottom of this posting for information on the DEQ hearing, how to submit written comments until March 2, as well as for links to the application itself. Read the rest of this entry »
Should the state’s regulatory authority over the metallic mine permitting process be dramatically reduced to accommodate the wishes of a mining company to receive a permit in record time? This is not a hypothetical question.
Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) has met with several legislators about its proposed open pit iron ore (taconite) mine along the border of Ashland and Iron counties to push legislation that would drastically speed up the mine permitting process. Read the rest of this entry »
A high court in Guatemala has ruled against HudBay Minerals, a partner with Aquila Resources on the Back Forty open pit gold-zinc metallic sulfide mine, in Menominee County Read the rest of this entry »
At a “community forum” hosted by Kennecott (Rio Tinto) in Marquette yesterday, local residents packed a room at the Ramada Inn. Overwhelmingly, the message was opposed to Kennecott’s activities in the area. While dozens spoke against the company, only about 6 people spoke in support of Kennecott.
The opposition was quite diverse, coming from sportsmen, a former employee of Kennecott, a federal government bureaucrat, teachers, doctors, hippies, retirees, and more.
An opinion article by Marquette resident John Scram . . .
Rio Tinto, Kennecott’s parent company, has the attention of the NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council.) The NRDC is protesting the Pebble mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
The NRDC describes Rio Tinto as a London-based mining conglomerate that has left a trail of toxic contamination from Indonesia to Utah. In 1996, a dam failed at the Porco mine in Bolivia where Rio Tinto had a significant interest. A Belgian scientist working in the region reports the rivers are totally dead. Read the rest of this entry »
Engaging and vibrant take on sulfide mining from the Reverend Jon Magnuson:
Healthy religious communities, especially here in the Upper Peninsula, hold at the center of convictions a respect for individual conscience. That’s one of the reasons for the “quietism” of many faith leaders when taking public positions on ethics and public policy.
But when religion tilts too far in this “private” direction, churches and tabernacles become silent, irrelevant to important issues facing us as citizens. Dynamic symbols and spiritual teachings on justice and compassion are robbed of their power for change and reduced to sentimental musings. Read the rest of this entry »
The Front 40 , a grassroots citizen group in Menominee County working to protect the Menominee River and the Shakey Lakes Savanna from metallic sulfide mining, just revamped their website. Check out their new look at MenomineeRiver.org.
Rio Tinto has notified the Ottawa National Forest of plans to explore for minerals within the federal forest. While the federal government owns surface rights to the parcel, the minerals are privately-owned, so the Forest Service is obligated to approve the exploration request.
Rio Tinto plans to drill about 9 miles north of Kenton, in Houghton County, Michigan, on the Ontonagon Ranger District.
Posted by LSMN 
LSMN
Eve Divine
doncorvette
