Op Ed - Wisconsin Could Face a Mining Disaster


Op Ed - Wisconsin Could Face a Mining Disaster


On January 25, 2019, a 28-story high tailings dam in Brumadinho, in southeastern Brazil failed, releasing almost 3 billion gallons of sludgy mine waste. The spill flooded nearby homes, submerging cars and buses under a river of reddish-brown sludge. The death toll so far has risen to 228 with an estimated 49 people still missing and presumed dead. This is Brazil’s deadliest-ever mining accident.

The same design for storing mine waste, known as the upstream dam construction method, is now being proposed for a large open pit metallic sulfide mine and tailings dam next to the Menominee River on the Wisconsin-Michigan border. While Brazil’s mining agency has already banned this design from further use, Michigan regulators are poised to approve this design and risk a catastrophic dam failure that could send toxic wastes into Lake Michigan and threaten drinking water for millions in the Upper Midwest. A coalition of concerned citizens, environmental groups and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin is determined to prevent this from happening...

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Ken Notes: Even as a pro business guy, I find if very hard to support a new mine on the WI-MI border. current techniques scar the land create hazardous waste and curtail the development of new products and solutions.

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- - Volume: 7 - WEEK: 17 Date: 4/22/2019 8:33:50 AM -