MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI-- It’s a mixed decision from the Environmental Protection Agency on Marquette County’s proposed construction of County Road 595.
The 22-mile stretch would connect the Rio Tinto Eagle mine to its processing facility in Humboldt. In August the Department of Environmental Quality held a public meeting after the EPA raised concerns as to whether there were alternate routes that would have less impact on aquatic resources.
In a letter to the DEQ dated Tuesday, the EPA withdrew its objection to the Marquette County Road Commission’s alternative route assessment for the project. But the EPA says the project would still have significant impact on wetlands, streams, and wildlife. It says officials have not received adequate plans to minimize those impacts or a mitigation plan that would provide compensation for unavoidable impacts.
The DEQ now has 30 days to respond to the EPA’s objection by submitting required impact minimization and mitigation plans.
