Presented by: Jesse, Ashlee, and Jonny

Background
Who is Gogebic?
Location & Importance
Type of mining: pro’s & con’s
Findings
Gogebic
Tribal
Economic/Political
Environmental

Background: Gogebic Taconite Mining Company
● Specialization: Specialize in Iron ore and low grade Taconite mining
● Affiliations: Cline Resource and Development Group (Chris Cline)
● Safety/environmental record: Still in development
Cline has a net worth of $1.7 Billion, ranking 78th among America’s richest according to Forbes 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Cline#/media/File:Chris_Cline.jpg
http://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/issues/mining https://www.earthworksaction.org/files/pubs-others/IronMiningEnviroTrackRecord-201301-SC.pdf
http://host.madison.com/proposed-mine-site/pdf_581b37f3-648f-5936-8235-f08a7a7aeb59.html

http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1730/pdf/PP1730.pdf
Here is a block diagram illustrating the geometric relationship between Neoarchean,
Paleoproterozoic and
Mesoproterozoic rocks in the central part of the
Gogebic iron range.

Location ~
Mining History ~
Local features ~ http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1730/pdf/PP1730.pdf
http://www.wisconsincentral.net/Culture/Culture/AshlandOreDocks.html
It is one of six major informally named iron ranges in the Lake Superior region and produced about 325 million tons of direct-shipping ore between 1887 and 1967.

Background Continued:
Proposed mining Project:
21 mi stretch (21,000 Acres)
● Implications of an open pit mine vs. Closed pit
● Jobs for local economy
● Issues of pollution and wetland destruction
● Decrease in Water quality http://media.jrn.com/documents/Iron-Mining-Review-011014.pdf
http://www.armz.ru/eng/uranium_mining/uranium_mining/open_pit_underground_mining/

● Ashland/Iron counties, WI
● Bad River watershed in
Northern WI
● Upstream of Bad River
Indian reservation
● Very close to
Chequamegon Bay http://www.wisconsincentral.net/Culture/Culture/AshlandOreDocks.html

Wetland Acreage
● Emergent: 21
○ marsh, fen, swale, wet meadows
● Forested/Shrub: 1349
○ bogs, forested/woody swamps
● Pond: 5
○ shallow open water

Proposed 2 mines, 1000ft deep, spanning 4 miles wide
Bring 2,000+ construction jobs
Employ 700+ mining jobs
Goal is to avoid, minimize, and mitigate wetlands

Extremist anti-miners created unsafe working conditions stalking site during night
Failed to pay $20,000 to Ashland county for land use
$100,000 deposit to Ashland county required for mining
EPA exercised executive power to limit gold and copper mining in the Bristol Bay watershed in Alaska
Withdrew mining proposal
Environmental restrictions

Penokee Hills Harvest Camp
Peaceful pow wows and educational outreach
Screen all campers to limit extreme protesters
Shift focus from jobs to water
Area is a protected, fragile system, home to endangered species
Plan to exercise treaty rights agreed on in 1800’s

Significantly higher unemployment than agriculture
Great Lakes region:
44% increase in poverty
63% of mining counties in “deep economic bust”
MN & MI:
Taconite prices declining
420 laid off in MN this year

WI DNR pressured Iron county to take action against the Penokee Harvest
Camp
Threatened county to revoke forest management
R-senator claims that the Harvest Camp permit is under dispute
Little communication between gov’t and tribes
Legislation passed in 2013, reducing environmental regulations

Wetlands protected under federal, state, and county law
Wisconsin DNR mitigation options
Wetlands mitigation banks
In-lieu fee program
Permittee responsible mitigation
○ Army Corps of Engineers
■ 404 Permit (section 404 of Clean Water Act)
Endangered/threatened species and habitat protected under ESA
Canadian lynx, gray wolf, northern long eared bat, piping plover, rufa red knot

Hydrologic concerns
○ 5-10 mile continuous rift in water tables
○ Rift would span across 2 minor watersheds
○ Water movement between watersheds

Mining Process Pollutants
Tailings basins
Mg, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Hg,
Zn, Co, As, Cu, Ag, Au, Se, P
Ore Processing
Fossil fuel intensive
Asbestos
Mercury emissions from heat curing of taconite pellets

Acid Mine Drainage
Oxidized sulfate leached from mine
Mobilizes other metals
Lowers pH

Multiple smaller mines
○ Less acreage destroyed
○ More manageable restoration timescale
○ Reduced risk of tailings basin malfunctions
○ Smaller hydrologic impacts
○ Lessened habitat fragmentation

● Required by State, federal, and county law
● Recommended 2:1 replacement ratio (2750 acres : 1375 acres)
● Replacement of specific wetland types
● Preferably done within Upper Bad River and Tyler Fork watersheds
● Permittee responsible mitigation preferred
○ In-lieu and mitigation bank credits also necessary

We concluded that, at this time, the proposition put forth by Gogebic Mining was inadequate as to the amount of landscape alteration and potential water contamination that the open-mining project would lead to