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Kennecott Mining Plan Called "Cultural Clash" Tearing U.P. Apart

$469 Million Project Held Up By Objections to Power Lines From Marquette

July 3, 2011       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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Indians since ancient times have visited a "vision quest" site atop a remote hill called Eagle Mountain.

The site is 26 miles northwest of Marquette in Michigan's Upper Peninsula and nine miles from the south shore of the poet Longfellow's "shining big sea water," Lake Superior.

Natives are said to have climbed the hill to commune with the spirits of their ancestors and attempt to find their inner beings.

When a global mining corporation sought to ascend the sacred hill with huge clanking power equipment and drill deep for nickel and copper, not only the natives were concerned.

Causing the cultural clash is the arrival of Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, leading international mining group headquartered in the United Kingdom.

The firm envisions a $469 million project -- the only primary nickel mine in the nation -- expected to produce 300 million pounds of nickel and 250 million pounds of copper.

The project is held up awaiting a decision by an administrative law judge on an objection to power lines from Marquette to the site by Gene Champagne, representing the Concerned Citizens of Big Bay. The group objected to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality's permit amendment to Kennecott for electric power lines installed by Alger Delta Electric.

The DEQ and the Concerned Citizens group have been attempting to negotiate a settlement and lately were reported stalemated. Eventually the matter may be decided by DEQ Director Dan Wyant but still be subject to circuit court appeal.

"It became a cultural clash that has torn apart Marquette," said Dr. John Anderton, professor of geology at Northern Michigan University.

Speaking to a couple hundred history advocates at the recent Upper Peninsula History Conference of the Michigan Historical Society, Dr. Anderton raised expressions of concern among all listeners.

But the pendulum may be swinging in favor of the mining plan. Lately the public and local newspapers have backed Kennecott that is establishing an education center in downtown Marquette and has donated $5,000 to the YMCA, among other gestures.

In 2009 townsfolk and environmental activists conducted a symbolic walk to Eagle Mountain to demonstrate their concern.

Even though Kennecott has promised to purify water from operations, natives and like-minded citizens fear corruption of the nearby Salmon Trout and Yellow Dog Rivers.

Kennecott dangles the carrot of 200 jobs, (75 percent local hires), with payroll of $21 million annually.

The project is located on a sandy glacial outwash called Yellow Dog Plains that is the traditional territory of the Keeweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC).

KBIC is the descendant of tribes dating back to Paleo-Indians 11,000 to 8,500 years ago; Archiac peoples 8,500 to 1,800 years ago; and Woodland tribes from 1,800 years ago to the beginnings of history four centuries ago with the French occupation.

The U.P. honors the memory of Father Jacques Marquette, French missionary who helped settle the region and Bishop Frederic Baraga who enticed other Slovenian immigrants to help build the Roman Catholic Church here.

Bishop Baraga's remains lie in a a crypt in the basement of St. Peters Cathedral in Marquette along with other honored clerics from the region. The bishop is revered for rising at 3 a.m. daily to pray for three hours and has been proposed for sainthood.

Devout parishioners to this day honor the bishop's memory with perpetual adoration, a round-the-clock prayer vigil involving dozens of volunteers.

Michigan's Upper Peninsula is noted worldwide as one of the birthplaces of mining.

Ancient tribes used copper and other metals to make tools and utensils including arrow points, pots, and spoons. Metal tools shaped native culture, sparked technological advances and were said to have started Michigan to Industrial Revolution leadership.

The nineteenth century marked a period in Michigan's history that saw the greatest production of raw materials such as Iron and Copper. These materials contributed to the shifting and expanding landscape of the United States and the industrial revolution. For the past decade, Kennecott has explored Michigan's Upper Peninsula for minerals. In 2002 exploration led to the discovery of the so-called Eagle, a valuable nickel and copper deposit in Michigamme Township, about 25 miles northwest of the City of Marquette.

Sixty percent of all nickel mined is used to make stainless steel while nickel and copper are vital for cell phones, refrigerators, electric vehicle batteries, medical supplies and musical instruments.

The firm describes the Eagle mineral deposit as: "a small but concentrated deposit encompassing only six acres," that will be accessed through a process called 'long hole slope mining.'

The firm explains: "Kennecott will access the deposit through development of an underground mine. The entire project site will require less than 120 acres. This relatively small footprint means less impact to the environment and community. Most of the 1,600 acres owned or leased by Kennecott will remain undisturbed by project activities and be available for camping and other recreational activities."

A Lansing public relations firm, MRG (Marketing and Resource Group) represents Kennecott.

Ore will be transported by truck to the Humboldt Mill for processing, then by rail to an offsite facility for further refinement. "Through careful design and permitting requirements, noise and odor from mining operations will be kept to a minimum," the firm's publicity asserts, amplifying:

"Environmental excellence is a focal point for Rio Tinto. Kennecott Eagle Minerals has earned ISO14001 Certification for the environmental management process implemented by the company during development of the mine. Construction of the underground and surface facilities is expected to take two years to complete and the production of ore is scheduled to begin in 2013."

After mining, all excess rock will be returned underground as fill and the company is required to monitor water quality for 20 years after the project is completed.

The Michigan DNRE earlier this year issued environmental permits for use of the abandoned Humboldt Mine, 25 miles west of Marquette. the ore would be transported by truck to the Humboldt Mill, where it will be finely ground. The metallic minerals will be separated and transported by rail for further processing in Ontario, while the resulting tailings will be placed in the bottom of the Humboldt pit to isolate potential contaminants from the environment.

Kennecott originally submitted permit applications for the mill in December 2008. The DNRE provided multiple opportunities for public input and exchange of information, including a public meeting on the mining permit application and a consolidated public hearing on the four environmental permits.

The DNRE says it has "conducted a thorough multi-disciplinary review of the permit applications and required Kennecott to submit additional information based on the review and questions raised through the public comment process.

"The DNRE has concluded that Kennecott's applications meet the requirements of Michigan law, and the mill operation will provide the necessary protection for the environment, natural resources, and public health."

One public backer of the plan wrote recently to the Marquette Mining Journal that it is time to stop the suits and legal wrangling and get on with the project. Since Kennecott has done its environmental homework, according to the state, and because the project will provide investment, jobs and tax revenues, we agree. ###

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Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

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