Dear Editor,
The fact that the Mining Action Group of UPEC (Upper
Peninsula Environmental Coalition) was consulted before the Feb. 6 press
release by the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) is good news for the
public and our environment. They and Highland Copper Co. representatives went
to great lengths to assure us they would be on their best behavior this year.
The company will have its engineer with the drilling subcontractor; the former,
we were told, has the authority to stop drilling should weather conditions lead
to thawing of the ground. The DNR said it would have its personnel regularly
checking that no new harm comes to the Porkies.
However, I'm left wondering whether the recent press
releases from the DNR have been carefully designed to prevent future blow back
against the DNR, the state agency that manages the Porcupine Mountains
Wilderness State Park. When these damages were first investigated and reported,
the public responded with outrage -- drilling in the Porcupine Mountains
Wilderness!? Everyone assumed that the Porkies were safe from mining activities
-- unfortunately, that isn't true. Folks are shocked.
The Porcupine Mountains are iconic in the minds of Michigan
citizens, but the DNR suggests that copper mines and wilderness areas are
compatible. The message from DNR seems to be "Don't worry, the Porkies
will retain a pristine surface even if Highland Copper Co. is blasting copper
underneath the Park."
Is the DNR trying to convince the public that they want this
mine? Mining impacts will include light pollution, mine waste, water quality
concerns, vibrations, noise, dust, ore trucks, mine waste permanently stored
along the shoreline of Lake Superior, and more. The Copperwood Mine would be
across the road from the Porkies -- maybe literally underneath our hiking
boots. Who wants that?
Horst Schmidt, President, Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition
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