MARQUETTE COUNTY, MI-- The Department of Environmental Quality has approved an amended air permit for the Rio Tinto Eagle mine.
Changes to the company’s plans include the elimination of underground ore crushing, the addition of an enclosed aggregate storage building, and the removal of air emission control in the form of a fabric dust filter.
The DEQ gathered public input on the new permit. It says Rio Tinto must limit the number of trucks leaving the mine, reduce dust emissions by covering loads or applying a dust suppressant, and identify which roads leading to the mine need to be paved. The DEQ says it will monitor vent emissions for 120 days from peak operations, which is scheduled for late 2014.
Meanwhile, environmental group Save the Wild U.P. is calling for a federal corruption investigation of the relationship between mining companies and the state. The group is circulating a petition that reads as follows:
"We, the undersigned concerned citizens, respectfully request the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the corruption and collusion between the State of Michigan and executives of multinational mining companies in Michigan.
High-ranking State of Michigan regulators joined with mining industry executives to form the Northern Michigan Geologic Repository Association (NMGRA) as a ‘non-profit’ corporation to house core samples for the industry -- outside of public scrutiny.
State regulatory officials found time to form a private entity with mining executives but have repeatedly failed to enforce Michigan's environmental and safety regulations at the Eagle Mine.
We demand a full investigation of these ties and accountability of regulatory agencies."
Save the Wild U.P. and a member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community have also filed a notice to sue the Environmental Protection Agency for violating the Clean Water Act. They say the EPA didn’t require a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit for the discharge of treated mine water, even though the state knew such discharges would flow into the East Branch of the Salmon Trout River.
A 60-day Notice to Sue was mailed to the EPA last Monday.
