Public meeting held on proposed Penokee iron mine, in Wisconsin

February 1, 2011

From Headwaters News:

A standing-room-only crowd of roughly 250 people braved a cold January evening in search of information on an open pit iron mine recently proposed for Iron and Ashland Counties, in Wisconsin.

The meeting, moderated by Northland College President Mike Miller, was initiated by reporter Mike Simonson of KUWS (UW-Superior) and Wisconsin Public Radio.  Simonson said he organized the meeting out of concern that solid information on the proposed mine had been all too scarce. Read the rest of this entry »


Article on Flambeau Mine Lawsuit

January 25, 2011

from 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.


New Citizen Lawsuit Against Pollution at Kennecott’s Flambeau Mine

December 27, 2010

from the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council website:

On November 16, 2010, the Wisconsin Resource Protection Council, Center for Biological Diversity, and Laura Gauger (collectively, “WRPC”) sent to the Flambeau Mining Company (FMC) a Notice of Intent to file a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit to abate the ongoing, unpermitted discharge of pollutants to a tributary of the Flambeau River known as “Stream C.” Stream C flows over the southeast corner of the Flambeau Mine site and has elevated levels of copper. It joins the Flambeau River about a quarter mile downstream from the mine.

Read the rest of the news release and get more information on the new lawsuit at the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council.


New Iron Mining in Wisconsin

December 27, 2010

Article from the Ashland Daily Press on a public forum on an iron mining proposal near Ashland:  http://www.ashlandwi.com/articles/2010/12/15/news/doc4d0865a24da02916387653.txt

And the Ashland Daily Current reports that the mining interests gave Wisconsin’s new governor $10,000 in campaign donations:  http://ashlandcurrent.com/article/10/12/15/mining-project-execs-gave-walker-10000


Wisconsin Citizens Sue DNR, Kennecott Over Ongoing Flambeau Mine Pollution

June 19, 2009

Madison, Wisconsin—The Wisconsin Resources Protection Council (WRPC) announced today at a press conference in the State Capitol Building that it intends to file a lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and Kennecott’s Flambeau Mining Company (FMC). The lawsuit would be in response to ongoing water pollution that violates Wisconsin law and the Federal Clean Water Act at the Flambeau Mine, in Rusk County, unless the pollution and related issues are fully addressed within 30 days. Read the rest of this entry »


Video Footage On Flambeau Mine Lawsuit

June 19, 2009

Madison, Wisconsin – Video clips from the Wisconsin State Capitol Building regarding the Wisconsin Resources Protection Council’s lawsuit against the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and Kennecott Flambeau Mining Company regarding ongoing pollution and violation of state and federal law at the Flambeau Mine site in Rusk County.


Report on Mining Company Strategy Available Online

May 27, 2009

A detailed and useful report, written by Teresa Bertossi, covers Kennecott Minerals’ (subsidiary of Rio Tinto) strategies for overcoming public resistance to metallic sulfide mining projects in Wisconsin and Michigan.  The report is entitled Mining for Public and State Approval: Corporate Strategies for Metallic Sulfide Mining on Michigan’s Yellow Dog Plains (click on the title to access the report) is now available at the Lake Superior Mining News.

Other reports can be accessed on the “Reports” page.


New Mining Exploration in Wisconsin?

May 21, 2009

Tamerlane Ventures, out of Washington State, has requested the Oneida County Mining Oversight and Local Impact Committee to consider allowing the company to begin exploring for metallic minerals within the Oneida County State Forest. Read the rest of this entry »


Grassroots Success Against Potentially Dangerous Mines in the US

June 25, 2008

By Gabriel Caplett

As the Upper Peninsula battles against a metallic sulfide mining district, citizens have turned to neighboring Wisconsin as an example of successful grassroots opposition to unsustainable mining.

Ironically, Kennecott has also found inspiration in Wisconsin. The company has showcased its now-closed Flambeau Mine in attempts to demonstrate that it is capable of operating a successful sulfide mine in the UP.

Kennecott, and the industry as a whole, has learned its lesson in losing to grassroots mining opponents in Wisconsin and around the world. Read the rest of this entry »


Sulfide Mining: Not a Done Deal

June 25, 2008

Since first announcing plans for its nickel-copper Eagle Project mine, Kennecott Minerals – a subsidiary of London-based Rio Tinto – and the State of Michigan have tried to portray the mine as “a done deal.”  At each step in the approval process, new information has been presented to the public, thus breaking up the full effects of Kennecott’s mining plans into smaller, presumably easier to digest, segments.

At the same time, science not conducive to an honest approval of Kennecott’s plans has been suppressed while public comment has been nearly entirely disregarded.  The Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Deputy Director, Skip Pruss, has gone so far as to refer to public comment as “chaff.”

Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) treaty rights with the US government have been equally disregarded, as well as KBIC’s  concerns with blasting into and fencing-off Eagle Rock, a culturally sensitive and sacred rock outcropping on the Yellow Dog Plains.

State legislators and officials have assisted Kennecott by presenting approval of their mine as simply a legal and legislative process, disregarding the power of ordinary citizens to effectively stop development of an unpopular mining plan. Read the rest of this entry »


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