Acid Mine Drainage by savethewildup

In an article on ABC news, John Flesher wites:

Michigan regulators gave final approval Thursday to a nickel and copper mine for the Upper Peninsula, despite opponents' fears it would pollute streams that feed Lake Superior and provide habitat for a rare type of trout.

Kennecott Eagle Minerals Co. said it hoped to begin construction this year on what would be the nation's only mine where nickel is the primary target, not just a byproduct from extraction of other minerals.

But foes were planning court appeals, insisting the project would violate environmental standards set in recent years as mining companies stepped up explorations of deposits in the state's mineral-rich northlands.

"Strong Michigan laws were written specifically to protect Michigan's waters, including the Great Lakes, from toxic byproducts this mining will create," said Hugh McDiarmid Jr., spokesman for the Michigan Environmental Council.

The state Department of Environmental Quality granted two permits — one to build and operate the mine in the remote Yellow Dog Plains region of Marquette County, and the other to discharge treated wastewater underground.

Read the release from mining company Kennecott Eagle and reaction at Save the Wild UP.

We at Absolute Michigan have long been advocating against opening up Michigan to sulfide mining, a chemical process that has killed numerous rivers in the West. Read about acid mine drainage from the EPA.

The National Wildlife Federation plans an appeal, but it appears that Michigan's best hope is a 2010 Ballot Measure. As this video says, there's no Pure Michigan without Pure Water: