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Write On: Progressive
News for Northern Michigan November 2003 |
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Local Links Marquette Citizens for Peace and Justice State, National, and International Links |
Yellow Dog Plains Threatened Ryan Backlund Are a few dozen jobs and a few million dollars in tax revenues worth the devastation of a landscape and the befouling of multiple watersheds? The folks at Kennecott Mining and Exploration Company believe so. They believe so because they stand to gain hundreds of millions of dollars from the extraction of minerals from sulfide ores in northern Marquette and Baraga Counties, while not bearing the impacts of life after mine operations are suspended. Kennecott is now evaluating ore samples taken from the Yellow Dog Plains and plans on revealing their future in the area this spring. They are currently leasing tens of thousands of acres of mineral rights from the State of Michigan and have recently purchased roughly 1500 acres from Mead Westvaco near the headwaters of the Salmon Trout River. What happens if a mine comes to the Y.Dog Plains? Since there are no railroads, paved roads, or electricity on the plains, an adequate infrastructure to support mining operations would need to be installed. This includes improving roads, building bridges, and clearing land for the construction of railroads and transmission lines. All of these “improvements” to support a mine that would be in operation for no longer than 20 years. The mine itself is being compared to the Flembeau mine in Ladysmith, Wisconsin. This mine produced $750 million in profits for Kennecott, and is still producing acid mine drain, which is contaminating groundwater to unsafe levels. This doesn’t sound like a fair trade-off. Other Kennecott mining operations throughout North America are also responsible for groundwater and surface water contamination. The waters we drink do not need to be contaminated in the name of corporate profit. So what can we do? The Eagle Alliance along with the National Wildlife Federation and other local groups are spearheading an assault on sulfide mining in Michigan. These efforts are focused on placing a moratorium on sulfide mining similar to the recently implemented moratorium enacted in Wisconsin. The Wisconsin moratorium stipulates that any entity pursuing a sulfide mine must show evidence of a mine, in operation for at least ten years, which has produced no acid mine drain, as well as, a mine, whose operations have been suspended for at least ten years with no acid mine drain. To date, no mining company has been able to provide this evidence. The people of Michigan should not allow clean water to be traded for corporate gains, either. For more information, please visit www.ydeaglescry.com. |
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