The British are coming! The British are coming!
Not content with pillaging our homeland a few centuries back - or giving us the Spice Girls - the British are returning to the U.P. to wreak more havoc.
The Kennecott Mining Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary of British mineral giant Rio Tinto, has set its sights on a nickel deposit northwest of Marquette and right next door to our treaty territory.
Kennecott's operation wouldn't be like most mines that have dotted the U.P. in the past, because it is seeking to extract metals that are fused with sulfur.
When this compound is exposed to water and oxygen, it initiates an unstoppable chemical reaction that creates sulfuric acid, which is highly toxic. This acid poses a direct threat to the health of our sacred waterways and the viability of our treaty fishing rights.
Briefly, here is how mining works: Miners find an area where there is a high concentration of desirable metals, such as iron or nickel. These metals exist in tiny flecks that are fused together with other minerals in a compound called "ore." Each ton of ore yields only a few pounds of metal, which must be separated from the rest of the compound. The remaining 1,900-plus pounds of ore that is not needed is ground up into small particles called "tailings." These tailings, which usually contain toxic heavy metals, are stored in lined pits during operations.
In Kennecott's case, this process is even more dangerous due to the large presence of sulfide in the ore. When this sulfide is ground into small particles, it exposes a huge surface area to oxygen and water, thus dramatically increasing the amount of sulfuric acid that is produced.
Recognizing the danger posed by sulfide mining near our plentiful waters, people pushed for legislation to govern the process.
The Legislature and Governor Granholm reacted last year by passing a law that is very favorable to Kennecott and other companies eyeing the U.P.'s multi-billion dollar sulfide-mineral deposits.
This new law allows mining companies to conduct their own environmental studies - as opposed to an independent, unbiased study - and only requires them to post a bond for cleanup in case they leave a mess behind.
If the cost of cleanup is less than the value of the minerals, this bond just becomes another business expense.
The law also requires that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) draft rules to govern mining oversight.
Frankly, I don't trust the DEQ to monitor these mines any more than I would trust Edward Scissorhands to give me a colonoscopy.
The DEQ was responsible for oversight and monitoring at Bay Harbor in Petoskey, which was built on an old quarry and cement kiln. Under its oversight, some areas of Little Traverse Bay became as toxic as bleach.
A final provision of the new mining law also requires monitoring the site for 20 years after it closes, which is wholly inadequate.
In Europe there are 1,500 year old sulfide mines built by the Roman Empire, which hasn't been in power since my grandfather was a teenager, that are still leaking sulfuric acid into the water system.
Sulfide mines pose a direct threat to our ecosystem and treaty rights, which is why the Chippewa Ottawa Resource Authority tribes should be looking to join the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community in fighting them.
The Kennecott Company may come and go without making a mess. But in doing so they'll open the door for other companies to follow. Somewhere along the line, a company will screw up and we'll be eating whitefish that tastes like the head of a matchstick.
Our Mother Earth and our treaty rights are just too sacred to let this go without a say-so. We should follow the lead of our Anishnaabe ancestors and kick some British butt one more time.
Bryan Newland is a Bay Mills Indian Community Member and a student at Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing. He is the oldest son of Gordon and Vickie Newland of Bay Mills. He has written columns and letters that have appeared in local, regional, and national publications. You can respond to his column at 517-420-0808 or tikro6@yahoo.com.
