An Ingham County Circuit Judge has ruled that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) ruled appropriately when it <a href="http://www.mlive.com/newsflash/michigan/index.ssf?/base/business-18/122667624126360.xml&storylist=newsmichigan".gave Kennecott Eagle Minerals an air quality permit for a proposed sulfide mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The lawsuit was filed by the Huron Mountain Club, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. Additional hurdles remain before the mine can begin operating, including an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) water discharge permit and the results of a hearing over whether or not the DEQ ruled appropriately when it gave a permit to Kennecott to operate the mine and discharge water.
Opponents of the mine–who have been organized for over two years in the UP–argue that the mine will produce acidic run-off that threatens the watershed.
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