e complete system. And just as in government, when one element (in this case
humans) grows to have more power than is good for the greater balance, all will suffer. It is similar in many ways to the philosophy behind Wing Chung Kung Fu. The yin and the Yang. Continuous motion that not only complements the other elements, but depends on them.The Native Americans also say that through greed and the unchecked desire for personal material as well as monetary wealth, the very system we are part of is now in danger. Death by a thousand self inflicted cuts. Burning our own house down. Suicide by stupidity and greed. With all of this our there it is a wonder that there are still those who believe that for short term economic growth and corporate enrichment, it is good business think to create a new ecological threat, at great cost to Wisconsin taxpayers. This threat is in the form of a proposed four-mile, 1,000-foot-deep iron ore mine near Hurley, at Penokee Hills, Wisconsin, a burg perched on the state’s northern border that brags of "wilderness, waterfalls and wildlife”. At this point any threat to a natural resource,
and in this case the area in it's natural state is the natural resource, could now be considered a threat to our national security The first phase of Gogebic Taconite's plans calls for mining a 4-1/2 mile stretch of the hills near Mellen, a city of about 900 people just south of the reservation for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. Company officials say that phase probably will last at least 35 years, generating about $1.4 billion in state and local tax revenue, creating 700 jobs for people in the area and 2,000 ancillary jobs for the region's service and transportation industries. Supporters insist the mine will be an economic boon, creating hundreds of good-paying jobs that will re-energize the impoverished region. However, environmentalists and tribal leaders worry the mine will contaminate one of the most pristine regions in the state. It will in the least definitely effect the natural state of the area, all agree. Over the past six months, the mining company Gogebic Taconite LLC spent $114,883 lobbying state officials to get their support for the proposal to create an iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin. State Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Poplar, who represents the local disctrict, stated “a complete waste of
money.” There are now many different groups working against the mine. Their diversity represents a quite large range of our society. One such group is Gogebic Taconite | WisconsinWatch.org. The people involved in the grassroots Penokee Mine struggle and the protection of Lake Superior are interested in cross-pollinating with similar grassroots struggles, and would love for you to contact them, either via Save the Water’s Edge (a freelance news site in northern Wisconsin) at savethewatersedge@gmail.com or via Madison for the Penokees (support group based in Madison) at mad4penokees@gmail.com. For more information, please see the resources below:
- Resisting Resource Colonialism in the Lake Superior Region
by Al Gedicks
- Penokee Hills Education Project
- Save the Water’s Edge
- Concerned Citizens Facebook Group
- www.wisconsinwatch.org/tag/gogebic-taconite/
- http://www.badriverwatershed.org/
If anyone else wants to speak out, they can
send an email the main authors of the bill: - Sen.Kedzie@legis.wisconsin.gov - Senator Neal Kedzie (SD 11, Elkhorn), the lead bill author and chair of the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee
- Sen.Schultz@legis.wisconsin.gov - Sen. Dale Schultz (SD 17, Richland Center), a lead bill author
- Rep.Mursau@legis.wisconsin.gov - Rep. Jeffrey Mursau (AD 36, Crivitz), a lead bill author and chair of the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources Below, one of the massive trucks used
Type of ore body: Iron Oxide
Estimated amount of ore: More than 2 billion tons
Location:
The ore body is a continuation of the Ironwood Iron Formation encountered in Michigan and continues west beyond the City of Mellen in Ashland County. The lease contains a 22-mile-long portion of the ore body. The First Phase of the project will be focusing on a 4 to 5 mile section located east of Mellen.
Lifeofthemine:
The first phase of mining operations is estimated at 35 years, but the ore body is large enough to sustain a considerably longer life.
MiningProcess:
The benefication process to
extract the iron from the ore is a mechanical process using water and magnets, not a chemical process like some other mines. PermittingInformation:
The mine cannot operate without the necessary permits. In order to obtain those permits, GTAC will have to demonstrate that it can meet a wide variety of stringent federal, state and local requirements and regulations that protect the environment and public health and safe. Above, the area of the proposed mine still in it's natural state. Below, the area in it's current state
Most of the expenses are associated with reviewing mine permits, a process that involves studying the effects a mine could have on air, water and threatened species. The analysis did not include long-term costs, such as oversight while the mine is in use and monitoring after the mine is closed.
The analysis broke costs down into the following three categories:.
- Pre-application and permitting costs: $150,000 to $800,000 per year.
- DNR staff costs: $50,000 to $300,000 per year.
- Environmental-impact studies performed by a contractor: $350,000 to $2.7 million per year.
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