Eagle Mine Permits Upheld

The Michigan Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court ruling that state permits were properly issued for the Eagle Mine. A coalition of groups including the YellowDog Watershed Preserve, the Huron Mountains Club and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community had filed the original suit, claiming that federal mining and groundwater discharge permits should have been required, in addition to state permits. Judges Mark Cavanagh, Donald Owens and Cynthia Stephens disagreed unanimously, writing that the project has successfully balanced the need for environmental protection with the need for economic development. The KBIC spent 25-thousand dollars to pay 500 Tribal members to travel to Lansing to demonstrate during the Appeals Court hearing in June. Today’s decision means construction will continue at the mine in Marquette County. In a release issued several weeks ago, mine owner Lundin Mining said they plan to begin producing ore by the end of the year.

Click on the links to see the full court decisions:

Mining Permit Decision – Court of Appeals 2014-08-13

Water Discharge Decision – Court of Appeals – 2014-08-13