MARQUETTE -- The Lake Superior Mining News recently posted three articles showing Rio Tinto / Kennecott's continued disregard of Native American sacred sites and of public safety in their copper and nickel mining projects, from Michigan to Arizona to Utah.
DEQ: Eagle Rock not a "place of worship"
In "Controversial Kennecott mine permits OK’d at 11th hour: Dept. rules that sacred rock is 'not a place of worship,'" Eartha Melzer of the Michigan Messenger, points out that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), shortly before it was recently combined officially with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), used a Michigan definition of "place of worship" as a "building" in its Jan. 14, 2010, ruling to permit the Eagle Project, Rio Tinto / Kennecott's proposed nickel and copper mine on the Yellow Dog Plains near Marquette.
Based on this definition, the DEQ decided that Eagle Rock, located within the proposed mining site, need not be considered a place of worship for the purpose of their mining permits, despite the fact that it is held sacred by the Anishinabe (Ojibwe) people.
Click here to read the Jan. 14, 2010, article.
Rio Tinto / Kennecott plans Arizona copper mine on public land
Meanwhile, the same Rio Tinto plans to disregard Native American sacred sites in the Tonto National Forest and "make off with an astounding $140 billion in publicly-held
mineral rights, in Arizona, for what is expected to be North America’s largest copper mine." The project awaits an environmental review.
Click here to read this Dec. 17, 2009, article, "Rio Tinto Set to Make Off With $140 Billion in Public Mineral Wealth; Company and Plan Criticized."
Kennecott tailings site in Utah still a threat
Finally, Kennecott's company report on the danger of a massive 5,700 acre tailings impoundment, north of Magna, Utah, says the tailings dam may fail, but will not harm residential neighborhoods, even in the case of an earthquake. Read more.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment