Metallic sulfide mining (aka hard rock mining) is the practice of extracting metals such as nickel, gold and copper from a sulfide-rich ore body. Sulfides are a geologic byproduct of mining in this area, and by exposing sulfides to the air and water in our atmosphere, sulfuric acid can be created — threatening to poison the nearby water, environment, and communities.
Why is sulfide mining a concern?
• If sulfide ore or the tailings piles are exposed to water and air during mining, a chemical reaction can create sulfuric acid — basically battery acid.
• There has never been a sulfide mine that has not polluted nearby water resources.
• Acid Mine Drainage can form multi-colored sediments in the bottom of streams and can disrupt the growth and reproduction of fish or kill aquatic plants and animals.
• Pollution from sulfide mining can be very expensive to fix — especially for taxpayers.
•There has never been a metallic sulfide mine that has failed to pollute its watershed.
• The legacy of sulfide mining is acid mine drainage. It poisons water forever (2,500 – 10,000+ years). The industrial development required to mine it on State land, in Michigan’s wildest area, will destroy that wildness forever.
Why is sulfide mining is a bad deal for the U.P.?
• Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality isn’t properly regulating its sulfide mining laws — a key reason we’re calling for a corruption investigation of the agency.
• Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has 1,700 miles of shoreline along the Great Lakes.
• There are 12,000 miles of rivers and streams and 4,300 inland lakes in the U.P.
• It takes over 190 years for contaminants to cycle through Lake Superior!
• The Great Lakes contain 18% of the world’s freshwater, a globally precious resource.
But what about jobs?
• Mining is a boom and bust industry that only produces short-term economic stimulus. Over time, it destabilizes and hinders the growth of local economies.
• The mainstay of Upper Michigan’s Economy is tourism, and punching multiple heavily polluting mines into our pristine wilderness threatens the future of eco-tourism which brings 20 million in revenue to a city like Munising alone, 2 times more than the entire Eagle project promises.
What’s happening now with sulfide mining in the U.P.?
• Multinational mining corporations are presenting exploring for copper, nickel, uranium, and more.
• Rio Tinto was the first to apply for a permit to operate a sulfide mine in Michigan, 30 miles north of Marquette on the Yellow Dog Plains near Lake Superior. Rio Tinto sold the mine in 2013 to Lundin Mining Company.
• The Eagle Mine blasted under a trout stream and through a rock outcrop, Eagle Rock, sacred to indigenous tribal members.
• The Eagle Mine was granted permits from State agencies (currently under litigation) to begin mining in Michigan under Michigan’s weak and untested sulfide mining regulation.