FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gabriel Caplett
Telephone: 906/226-6649
Email: [email protected]
Mailing Address: PO Box 122, Marquette, MI, 49855

GROUPS OPPOSE KENNECOTT’S POWER PLANS FOR MINE PROJECT

The Alger-Delta Cooperative Electric Association (“Alger-Delta”) plans to hold a public meeting in Big Bay, Michigan, regarding a power upgrade to service a potential Kennecott Eagle Project mine. All who can make it should attend. The meeting is on Monday, February 18th, at the Powell Township School in Big Bay. It is scheduled to run from 7:00 – 8:00 PM.

The Alger-Delta Cooperative Electric Association has suggested the meeting is simply regarding an upgrade for Powell Township residents. However, Tom Harrell, Alger-Delta General Manager, has confirmed that Kennecott is purchasing a contract with Alger-Delta to run power lines to their mine site.

This power contract was never discussed with the general public. Power lines would affect private and public property and detract from the recreational value of the Yellow Dog Plains. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, which maintains treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather in the area, were also not consulted about these plans.

Kennecott’s plans to construct a road for its project, going south toward Humboldt, was also never discussed with the general public and will also affect public, private and ceded treaty land as well as area wetlands.

By keeping the public in the dark regarding the full extent of its plans, Kennecott has had the luxury of minimizing the perceived impact of its mining project. In allowing Kennecott to keep its plans for power production and transportation secret throughout the approval process, the State’s Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Natural Resources have failed citizens the agencies purportedly serve and abrogated a mandate to “protect and conserve the natural resources of the State [and] prevent and guard against the pollution of lakes and streams within the State.”

Yellow Dog Summer, Northwoods Wilderness Recovery and Keepers of the Water continue to oppose Kennecott’s flawed mining plan as well as its plans for power line and road construction and vow to protect Michigan’s natural resources from the State’s corruption and negligence.

---