Another One Bites the Dust?
December 8, 2008
Humboldt, MI – Humboldt Township board members presented a new letter of support welcoming Kennecott-Rio Tinto to its recently-purchased milling facility at the township’s regular board meeting, Monday. The board also welcomed new Township Supervisor, Joseph Derocha, and thanked Marvin Ruspakka, also present, for his years of service as Humboldt supervisor.
Derocha presented the letter of support as a follow-up to discussions between Kennecott-Rio Tinto and the township, this past spring, that led to a May 12, 2008 resolution of support for the company’s mill plans. However, a letter was not drafted at that time.
“The letter of support I think comes as kind of a surprise, at this point, if it’s been sitting around since May,” said Kristi Mills, Big Bay resident and Save the Wild UP Director. “We’re disappointed to hear that you’re supporting Kennecott.” Mills recommended that the board act “with caution when dealing with Kennecott.” According to Mills, “They’re a company that has a long track record of manipulating communities and taking advantage of the little guys.”
The support letter, addressed to Eagle Project Manager Jon Cherry, expresses the township board’s intention to “expedite any local unit governmental operating permits that will be required” from the township for re-opening the old mill. The mill has been used, historically, to process ore from Callahan Mining’s Ropes Gold Mine and was leased for iron ore use.
The letter also expressed the board’s belief that Kennecott-Rio Tinto would adhere to their verbal “commitment to safe ecological practices”.
In public comment, one citizen expressed his unease with supporting Kennecott-Rio Tinto, claiming that his water has already been contaminated by operations in the past.
The unanimous letter surprised Teresa Bertossi, from Save the Wild UP. According to Bertossi, not all Humboldt Township board members have supported Kennecott-Rio Tinto’s Eagle Mine and Humboldt plans in the recent past.
Mills urged the board to be vigilant in its oversight of the project “because the DEQ [Michigan Department of Environmental Quality] is handling a lot of the oversight and regulation of any permits…they’re understaffed, they’re underfunded. They can’t do the job they’re doing right now effectively. On September 11, 2008, DEQ Director Steven Chester told officials in lower Michigan, “We simply don’t have the kind of funding we need to adequately implement the laws we’re required to implement.”
The Humboldt board also expressed an interest in revamping its road ordinances, in order to plan for Kennecott/Rio Tinto’s planned South Road. The road would cross over the Yellow Dog River and wetlands while utilizing some existing segments of the Wolf Lake Road.
The company has been listed in the meeting agenda for three consecutive months but has not made a presentation due to scheduling conflicts. Kennecott-Rio Tinto’s newly-hired Matt Johnson attended a free township lunch, earlier in the day, but did not attend the public meeting. The board agreed to draft a letter to the company requesting a presentation at their next regular meeting. According to Derocha, the board was “assured that they would be here” and “the public would like some answers and would like to know what is going on.”
In early November, Johnson resigned from his post as Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm’s UP District Representative to work as a lobbyist and community relations manager for the company. Previously, he was the Governor’s contact for the metallic sulfide mining issue.
Derocha maintained that his board is concerned about the local environment, as well as the economy, and urged a respectful discourse between opponents and proponents of the company’s projects.
Humboldt Township meets the second Tuesday of each month. Kennecott-Tinto is expected to present at the 7pm January 13, 2009 meeting.
6 Comments
That is a very biased way of looking at what happened.
I understand that the reading of the core samples is actually incomplete and that if you read the core samples taken further down at the same site, you will find unstable rock that is in capable of being stable enough to prevent the contamination of the ground water.
Please talk to the geological experts at MTU that are knowledgeable about this. The readings were conveniently stopped short of the damning evidence of this instability.
Don’t waste a minute investigating this – seek and find the truth for everyone’s sake
Small town boards usually have zero understanding of chemistry, water science, soil science, ecology and are not prepared to deal with the intense pressures that a big corporation can generate on a citizen board. It should be noted that “verbal” agreements, as the old saying goes, “Ain’t worth the paper they are written on.”
Keep pressure on the state and the EPA and tribes to keep the pressure on.
It looks like the township honchos are willing to sell our natural inheritance down the river, and for a song. Perhaps the allure of rubbing elbows with the fat cats of a big, multi-national company is just too much to resist for the backwater politicos. Joe D. seems to have a knack for self-promotion and a great desire to be a big shot. Its too bad that the board is willing to have this awful project and its certain horrendous consequences as their political and personal legacy. They can’t see the forest for the trees.
It seems as though those of you who are against the mine would also have been against Cliffs during their building of mines in our area. This not a playground for you. If you don’t like the way things are going why don’t you move back to Detroit. Those of us who have struggled to make a living here enjoy it.
these stories are why i don’t believe this organization they don’t get their facts straight. the Humboldt Mine, Concentrator and Pellet plant were Owned, developed and built By Cleveland Cliffs. Callahan bought the concentrator and ran it in the 80’s before selling it to Minerals processing co. CCI sold it’s share to O’dovero. It was never “leased for Iron Ore” It was a finctional CCI mine from 1953 until 1970, and produced pellets from 1960-70 from their own ore and from 71 it used the Republic mine ore until 1980. IT WAS OWNED by CCI
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