On Friday, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality announced that it will hold a hearing in Lansing on the Eagle Project sulfide mine. The mine, proposed for an area in Marquette County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan known as the Yellow Dog Plains, has drawn considerable opposition from residents of the Upper Peninsula. The mine would be operated by an international mining company called Kennecott, who has a history of operating environmentally destructive mines. The metallic sulfide mining process in question has a high potential for environmental destruction and is a direct threat to the environment in the Upper Peninsula both because of this specific mine as well as Kennecott's ownership of mineral deposits throughout the region (http://www.savethewildup.org/michigan-map/largemp.jpg) and the likelihood that they will try to open additional mines in the future. While receiving significant attention in the public and in the media in the Upper Peninsula, there has not been much discussion or opposition to the proposed mine in the Lower Peninsula. Hopefully, with the Lansing hearings scheduled for March 12 at 1:00pm and 6:00pm at the Lansing Center , this will change as it will offer opponents of the mine in the Lower Peninsula a chance to publicly state their opposition. Before the announcement of the hearings in Lansing, the DEQ had planned only to hold a series of hearings in Marquette with no opportunity for citizens in the Lower Peninsula to publicly address their concerns to the DEQ.

In January, the mine was given preliminary approval by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, who ruled that Kennecott's application is complete and that their planned mine "provides for proper protection of the environment, natural resources, and public health and safety." The DEQ issued their preliminary approval before the end of the public comment period, claiming that they will continue to listen to the public and may extend their deadline for making a decision pending issues raised by the public. Unfortunately, the press release announcing the Lansing hearings makes it clear that the DEQ wants to approve the mine, with the press release explaining that Kennecott would use "underground mining methods that are designed to avoid impacts to the nearby Salmon Trout River or adjacent lands" and would return the area to its "original condition" once they were done mining. The preliminary approval was granted despite Kennecott's initial failure to provide all required information, serious questions about the environmental impacts of sulfide mining, Kennecott's own history of operating polluting mines, and a recent study showing that mines are frequently approved without adequate review leading to widespread water pollution. The DEQ's decision raises questions about how much it values the input of Michigan residents, especially in light of another recent decision in which it approved a water bottling and pumping operation in Osceola County but praised the fact that it would continue to accept public comment even though the decision had already been made.

Save the Wild UP, one of the most visible organizations opposing the sulfide mine, is continuing to organize a wide array of opposition to the mine. The organization is producing a 12-page insert that will be included in the Marquette Mining Journal on February 27, highlighting the threat of sulfide mining, the potential impacts on Marquette County, and an examination of the larger issue of mineral rights leasing in the Upper Peninsula. A workshop on preparing for the upcoming DEQ hearings in Marquette is also planned, offering those who are testifying important strategies for making their testimony more meaningful to DEQ regulators. In addition, Save the Wild UP also has an online action titled "5 Simple Things That You Can Do Now to Protect Michigan's Water" to help facilitate the process of asking Governor Jennifer Granholm to fulfill her promise to protect Michigan's environment by opposing sulfide mining, contacting your Representative and Senator, and even automating the process of sending letters to the editors of Michigan's major newspapers.