We are presently at an important crossroads: Are we really willing to potentially negate a relatively pristine wilderness to our posterity--that we and others before us have enjoyed--for a few, temporary jobs?
And for the major profits and products (our global, strategic minerals, like copper, nickel and uranium) go to international corporations like China (not the USA), who rarely (unless forced to do so--and after years of litigation), may partially rectify their inevitable pollution of our local watersheds, Great Lakes and forestlands? We cannot afford this! It's just another rip-off, which we now see with Exxon-Mobil, Chevron, and their recent, billion dollar+gas-pump ripoffs of the public--as well as the hardworking truckers, farmers, and other USA manufacturers who are dying because of corporate multi-billion corporations such as mining and gasoline corporations--RioTinto/Kennecott included.
Look at the un-regulated Wall Street firms: examples: Bear Stearns, UBS, Goldman Sachs, etc., and their hedge funds, real estate loan (rip-offs in regard to mortgage loan defaults--the US taxpayer now bailing them out), with their employees and CEOs having earlier received big paychecks, stock options, etc. Look at what pensioners are trying to do in regard to basic, decent and hones commercial bank-FDIC protected savings (Thank God!) savings plans in basic CDs and Money Market accounts--trying to survive--on the earler (2004-'07) 5% interest rate--that's gone down to 2% as of March, 2008! So much for saving...!
Hey, folks...How are we to survive...? Not by focusing on letting another international corporation rip us off...! Don't we realize that our strategic minerals, particularly those accessed by public land, will be more valuable in the near future? And that new technology will permit any mining that will not diminish/destroy/damage our important watersheds and Lake Superior? Certainly we are wiser than those persons who come here and promise us "the moon"! It's better that we can see the way to find "Green" opportunities for the U.P.....Like forest products, made into the pelletized fuels both for homes and industry to alleviate the coal-fired, mercury and acid-rain, negative, atmospheric fall-out on us, our forests and our neighbors to the east....We have a lot to offer in regard to increased tourism to the UP, the opportunities to create "green" manufacturing as well, and a debt to fulfill to our posterity. Let's not let what happened to West Virginia, then Wyoming, Utah, Montana and other northern states happen here.
We have something to hold on to. It will bring others here who feel as we do. It's one of the last places in the USA...!

Just a little something for the anti miners in the U.P. or maybe just to stir the pot a litte. Mr. Treado sure has done his homework,at least for one side of the story,but I respect a person who is willing to say what is on his or her minds. Maybe Mr. Cherry is the right man for the job in this location,maybe he did not want to leave or maybe he enjoys the U.P. just as much as the rest of us. People can read good or bad things just about everwhere there is a newstand, but does everone belive what they read? I guess most people do, but is it the truth, probable not. As for the U.P. yes it is great up here and I love the outdoors, but new jobs and busines are very important to me. I agree with the 24$ an hour burger flipping job post because it the truth and we all no that,I hope. I love to read the comments from people that dont even live here and just come once a year with there big RV's to complain about gas prices, it makes me sick! Just one more thing I love the nuclear waste comment,maybe watched to much star treck on T.V that night.

As a 4th-Generation Yooper (since the 1850's), and with 2-UP Generations of proud poserity here beyond me' and not as an "international isolationist," (I've served my country overseas), I can also appreciate the fact that those of us who can recognize the real facts that the newly-arrived "outsiders" in the form of "multinatonal corporations," can suddenly dangle carrots to push their selfish big-profit mining agendas; based upon our non-renewable assets (minerals, both 'base' and 'precious'--including copper, nickel, platinum, gold, zinc, etc.) These are also the corporations who have "use it and leave it" with (severely polluted) operations internationally, as well as the USA. Or even well-timed, "bankruptcies" which left them off the hook for clean-up..Another taxpayer expense, versus their profits to offshore bank accounts....or hedge funds...
Those spokespersons for Kennecott Mining, for example, Jon Cherry (formerly at Kennecott Copper in Magna, Utah) and Deb Muchmore/lobbyist (Medosta County MI/Nestle Corp.), have left behind their recent pollution and havoc recently in Magna, Utah and Evart, Michigan, respectively-- in two quite different, but ultimately, realated and also devastating public resources' situations. Both of these facts refer to either mining or water resources in Utah and Michigan. Is this what we want in the UP? I don't believe any of us want this type of future disaster. And once their "outsider/multinational corporate" projects and their personal, fat paychecks to foist this off on we "Yooper hicks who don't know any better" to prevent it....Hey, this is 2008! We're not that dumb...! I hope that UP folks take some time to peruse the background of these "feelgood" flaks who are dangling carrots to persuade Yoopers to accept what they want as merely a prelude to more dangerous mining practices and their profit-motivated operations in what we've only recently learned to to be at least 6 UP Counties and watersheds. (Not to mention that the real benefactor will be China--How little we know about our unfortunate future...!)

Finally there are some people Mr Treado and Mr Maki who really understand the real threat these mining companies pose . Thank you very much for your comments on this matter .

Hats off to you, Mr Treado, for a well researched as well as thought out comment. So many people feel that this mining is all about digging holes in the ground and that somehow, money is going to flow all around, period... Point #1 for sulfide mine supporters. This isn't a 'normal' hole in the ground mine, this is sulfide mining... This creates wicked compounds, which cannot be stopped once started, with any reliability whatsoever, the unleashing of the bad genie, so to speak, on the surrounding aquifier. Point #2 The money is not going to flow all around the U.P. from this, either. Please do a little research on the web and find out for yourself whether Rio Tinto and its subsidiaries create a better economy or greater human misery in the localities in which they have operations. Point # 3 These are big business, not accustomed to putting money anywhere but in their pockets. It saddens me greatly to read the usual comments written to this website on this topic.Sulfide mining has a proven track record, and it isn't good. Think of it as nuclear waste disposal site in the U.P. that has a tremendous potential for leakage underground.

From this five-part series, we have learned some "bytes" and opinions from various persons--both pro and con--on the issue of not only RioTinto/Kennecott Minerals' plans for several mines, but also those of three other foreign corporations who are vying to make manifest their own plans for other mines as well in six U.P. Counties. This could all go forward, with EPA permits, relatively soon. Unlike Alaska and Wyoming, whose citizens have directly benefited from mining and oil operation's profits, no such plan has been mentioned to benefit the six UP Counties who will host these new mining operations--that could include nickel, copper, zinc, gold, platinum, uranium and whatever else of value may be found. These are our precious, non-renewable resources in today's world! (As is our fresh water resources...)
And the extraordinary profits to be earned by these foreign corporations? Well, just for starters, it's very possible that RioTinto/Kennecott (and in spite of Australia's BHP Billiton's efforts) could now easily be purchased by BaoSteel/China--who can afford to pay as much as US$200 billion for RioTinto--$50 biilion more than BHP Billiton can afford--and this may happen very soon. Does that really matter to Michigan? Well, here's some interesting economic facts-of-life:
Sovereign wealth funds, particularly those of Russia and China, should be feared in the USA. These sovereign wealth funds are government-run investments financed by excess foreign reserves fueled by chronic trade surpluses. These funds often act as a nation's fiscal stabilizer. But China uses its excess foreign reserves in other ways--as a "loss leader" to achieve more nefarious economic goals. An example of this is China's continuing currency manipulation to boost its exports and create jobs--at the expense of American workers. This is done by keeping the Chinese yuan pegged and undervalued, then China first "sterializes" its export dollars by issuing bonds to Chinese citizens at high interest reates; and China's cental bank then maintains the dollar-yuan peg by buying US bonds at substantially lower interest rates. While China earns a negative return, its financial loss is more than offset by China's boost in exports and gross domestic product. China also uses it foreign reserves as a political weapon. Whenever pressure builds in the US to curb China's currency manipulation or other unfair trade practices, Chinese government officials threaten to dump their vast US dollar reserves and stop buying US bonds. This would cause interest and mortgage rates to soar and probably trigger a big US recession, so this has "cowed" American politicians. America has much to lose from the rapidly growing ability of Chinese sovereign wealth funds to acquire controlling interests in US corporations as well. One obvious strategic danger is that China may seek to gain control of critical sectors of the US economy--from ports and telecommunication to energy and defense. Chinese sovereign wealth funds wilth controlling interests in US corporations may also try to "offshore" jobs, managerial best practices, and research and development to China. Even worse, they may also seek to promote technology transfer while nabbing customers in the US. The effect of offshoring jobs and poaching markets hits America's economy immediately--just ask Michigan. Moving America's R&D, managerial elite and technologies to China significantly reduces American productivity and growth. (You may also want to review testimony before the U.S.-China Commission in Washington on February 7, 2008.)
The same can be said for our natural resources, including the valuable ores from the Upper Peninsula--sent to where, we have been told, will be China. Yes, there may be a small number of mining jobs generated here for a a very short time period, say a decade, and once the minerals and precious metals have been taken, that too will be over. We Michigan taxpayers won't really have much to show for it...and our international trade deficit and national debt will not have really been improved, and our grandchildren will be paying off this debt. And meanwhile here in the UP, we would have continued to run the risk of contamination to our forestlands and clean water--and our real estate values and tourism, too, most likely. Is this wise? I think not.
I'll make Jon Cherry of RioTinto/Kennecott Minerals a $100 bet that BaoSteel/China will take control of RioTinto within a year's time...This bet won't help the UP, but maybe it'll help make my point of view more explicit. And perhaps help people think a bit towards a future that we hadn't imagined...