If you're wondering what all the fuss is about metallic sulfide mining in Michigan, the best place to get your feet wet is to watch this video from Dick Huey, a spokesman for the group Save the Wild UP:
Acid Mine Drainage by Save the Wild UP
If a mine with the potential to generate battery acid and acid rain sounds like a poor choice for Michigan, consider attending tomorrow's (Wednesday Sept 19, 2007) public hearing at the Lansing Center in Lansing regarding the proposed metallic sulfide mine on the Yellow Dog Plains north of Marquette. Click for details on the hearing and public comment period that runs through October 17 from the Michigan DEQ. You may mail DEQ/DNR Kennecott Comments Office of Geological Survey P.O. Box 30256, Lansing, Michigan 48909-7756 or e-mail DEQ-Kennecott-comments@michigan.gov. There's a sample letter at savethewildup.org.
You might expect our state government to provide careful oversight of the first case of a potentially hazardous process. If so, consider the words of Phil Power, President of The Center for Michigan:
"At the start of all this, some of us actually believed the DEQ could handle review of Kennecott’s permit applications with integrity and impartiality The agency’s record since then belies these hopes. The internal culture of the Office of Geological Survey is to facilitate mining, not regulate it. Documents have been suppressed, Freedom of Information requests ignored, and the commitments made by the agency to prevent pollution have been overthrown. Now the DEQ proposes to grant to Kennecott an air permit that allows the company to spew toxic copper and nickel dust all over the central UP. It’s increasingly clear the DEQ has neither the expertise nor the guts properly to review this project." (full release)
Will State Allow Sulfide Mining Under U.P. River? and Industrializing the Wild UP are two articles from the Michigan Land Use Institute that provide a broad overview. They are releasing a third article later today and also plan to hold an awareness event at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City on Friday, Sept. 28 with music provided by Joshua Davis of the band Steppin’ In It.
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