March 28, 2006

The Department of Environmental Quality has scheduled two public meetings to share information and hear public comments on an application for a mining permit from Kennecott Eagle Minerals Company of Marquette. The meetings will be held April 18, at Northern Michigan University, 1106 University Center, in the Michigan and Huron Rooms (2nd floor). An afternoon meeting will be held from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. and an evening meeting from 6:00 to 9:30 p.m. The first two hours of each meeting will provide a chance for individuals and small groups to take part in informal question and answer discussions with staff of the DEQ and Department of Natural Resources. The last 90 minutes of each meeting will be set aside for the public to make formal comments on the application for DEQ consideration.

Kennecott submitted plans for the proposed Eagle Project Mine to the DEQ on February 22. The proposed operation would mine nickel, copper, and other metals from a small but rich deposit located about 25 miles northwest of Marquette and about 10 miles southwest of the community of Big Bay. Kennecott proposes to extract the ore by underground mining, and transport it by truck and railroad to a processing facility in Ontario.

A copy of the application may be reviewed at the DEQ Offices in Gwinn or Lansing, or the Peter White Library in Marquette. The application can also be viewed on the Internet at www.michigan.gov/deqogs by clicking on “Eagle Mine.”

Editor’s note: DEQ news releases are available on the department’s Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

“Protecting Michigan’s Environment, Ensuring Michigan’s Future”

Revised March 28, 2006 by Pat Watson