McDowell: Kennecott mine must have adequate safety plans

Kennecott’s planned nickel sulfide mine in the Upper Peninsula should not move forward until citizens have assurance that Kennecott is prepared to respond to any environmental problems that the mine could cause, Democratic State Rep. and District 1 congressional candidate Gary McDowell said this week.

McDowell is running for the seat that is being vacated by Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Menominee), who as chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations recently warned that Kennecott, like BP, has a reputation of cutting corners on environmental and safety matters.

Sulfide mining has never been done in this region before, Stupak said, and the $17 million assurance bond put up by the company does not provide nearly enough funding to address the damage that the mine could create.

Kennecott, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, seeks to exploit a rich vein of nickel and copper in the Yellow Dog plains northwest of Marquette, about 10 miles from Lake Superior. The minerals in this area are contained within a sulfide ore body. When sulfide is exposed to air and water during the mining process it forms sulfuric acid which can damage ecosystems if it spreads into area water bodies.

“As far as mining goes it is a part of our heritage in our Upper Peninsula along with timber and farming,” McDowell said. “If you are going to do these kind of jobs … They need to have response plans in place.”

McDowell said that he believes that Kennecott would comply with requests for an increased assurance bond.

“I don’t know if the $17 million dollar assurance bond is enough,” McDowell said. “Until we are assured that it is, I don’t think it should move forward.”

“Precious metals are a good opportunity for UP families,” he said. “I want to see it mined in the safest way possible.”

Last week Stupak said that Michigan may not have the resources to properly monitor Kennecott’s operations.

McDowell said that Kennecott should pay for needed oversight.

“I think that they should make sure that it is regulated properly,” McDowell said. “I believe that they want those metals badly enough that they will pay for that.”

McDowell’s comments on the Kennecott mine — one of the largest and most controversial projects underway in the Upper Peninsula — contrast sharply with statements from State Sen. Jason Allen, a leading contender for the Republican nomination for the district 1 Congressional seat.

At a campaign stop in Elk Rapids this month Allen said that if elected he would fight to relax state and federal regulations in order to help Kennecott and promote mining.

“We will continue to fight the EPA and continue to fight what is going on with the [Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources and Environment] to get that mine licensed,“ he said, “because that provides good solid jobs to get our people back to work and that is how we feed America.”

McDowell said that he does not support weakening existing regulations.

“I’m not opposed to mining,” he said, “but it has to be done in a safe way. Our Great Lakes are a treasure of immeasurable value, they have to be protected.”

This spring Kennecott declared that it did not need a federal water permit for its Upper Peninsula project and began construction of the mine without approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.