During the Stay-At-Home pandemic, Lea Jane and Dale Burie of ‘Tater Patch Recording Studio in Wausaukee, Wisconsin, have released their new river awareness song called “Our Great Menominee River, Amen.” Written by Elaine Mayer of Stephenson, Michigan, the song has a strong lyrical message that illustrates the passion of people in Menominee, Marinette, and many other counties who stand firm to protect the beautiful historical legacy of the Menominee River.

Lea Jane wrote the music score, played piano and bass, and sang all the harmonies on the project. Dale supplied the guitar tracks, drums, and the lead vocals. They shared engineering duties and completed the recording session. Dale Burie stated, “It was a labor of love for the preservation of one of our region’s most valuable assets, the Menominee River.”

Everyone is invited to share the song with friends via Facebook, emails, etc., as an encouragement to protect our natural resources. Use of the song is FREE and is available here or on Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, Inc. FB page.

Please donate if your heart is with us!

Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, Inc.
P.O. Box 475
Marinette WI 54143

Thank you.

Our Great Menominee River, Amen

Lyrics

V.1

From the hidden springs of water
In our Upper Michigan,
Wisconsin waters rush to join in
To that sparkling band of water
That’s been there forever.
She’s our great Menominee River, Amen!

CH:

We have vowed to defend her
As her enemies go after
All the treasures that lie deep within.
We will fight to protect her
From those who don’t respect her,
Our great Menominee River, Amen!

V.2

She has carried life within her,
Run the paper mills beside her,
She’s moved big timber down from the hills.
All the tribes and trappers
Have their history within her,
Our great Menominee River, Amen. (CHORUS)

V.3

Those foreign hands will kill her
If we don’t band together.
She doesn’t stand a chance on her own.
There is strength in numbers;
United we can save her,
Our great Menominee River, Amen!

TAG: She’s our great Menominee River, Amen!

END:

Just watch her water flowing.
In the morning sun she’s glowing,
Our great Menominee River, Amen!

BACK FORTY PROJECT – IS IT A DONE DEAL?

NO!

November 23, 2019

NOTE:  AQUILA DOES NOT HAVE ALL NECESSARY BACK FORTY PERMITS.

              As of November 23, 2019, only ONE of FIVE required permits has been both “issued” and deemed “effective,” and that is the NPDES Permit, #1 on the list below.

Definitions:

• Issued – means that a permit has been signed, not actually “Effective.”
• With Conditions – means a permit is signed and tentatively approved, PENDING a long list of substantive conditions that have to be met before mining could begin; and
• Effective – means the permit has met ALL pre-mine construction conditions (if there were any attached) and the permit is fully granted.

1. NPDES Permit: Issued and Effective.  This is the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit, involving water discharge to the Menominee River.

2. Mining Permit 632 Amendment: Amendment (with major changes) to the original Mining Permit 632 was in Public Comment period until  July 23, 2019 & still awaiting final decision by EGLE (formerly MDEQ).

3. Modified Air Quality Permit: Amendment was in Public Comment period until July 23, 2019 & still awaiting final decision by EGLE.

4. Wetland Permit: “Issued” but not “effective” and contains 28 pages, single-spaced typed, of many conditions that would have to be met before it was considered “Effective.”  This Permit is also involved in TWO contested cases against the MDEQ (now EGLE) and TWO federal court cases against the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers.

5. Dam Safety Permit: Still under deliberation by EGLE (formerly MDEQ).

Regarding this Permit:

On 6/20/19, there was an important ruling from Luke Trumble of EGLE. The Project Assessment was not adequate to complete the Review of the project. Much additional information was requested of Aquila.  Also, referenced documents were not provided with the application; EGLE asked for more details on 11 substantive issues.

In response to EGLE’s 8/9/19 request for further information regarding the Dam Safety Permit application, Aquila has had two extensions: 10/3/19 and 11/4/19. On 11/4/19 Aquila requested a further extension until 12/31/19. If EGLE has not received the requested information by 12/31/19, Aquila would be required to submit a NEW application for the Dam Safety Permit.

Mine isn’t done deal

PRESS RELEASE

On November 13, 2018, the Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, Inc. filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking review of the federal government’s handling of the wetlands permit for the proposed Back Forty Mine.

As has been well publicized, the EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have thus far delegated final permitting authority to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality despite the fact that the proposed Back Forty Mine would be located within 50 yards of the Menominee River in Michigan, and an environmental assessment completed as part of the application process determined that there are a number of potential impacts to the Menominee River as well as to Wisconsin residents.  The EPA did lodge numerous objections to the permit but withdrew those objections at the last minute, based on Michigan’s decision to address deficiencies in the permit by imposing material conditions in the permit.

The Coalition’s lawsuit is intended to address two issues:  (1)  Did the EPA properly determine that the proposed wetland permit fell within the authority delegated to Michigan; and (2)  Was the EPA’s decision to withdraw its objections to the permit arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion or otherwise not in accordance with applicable law.

“With so many potential issues affecting Wisconsin, decisions regarding the proposed Mine shouldn’t be left to a Michigan state agency.  When you have a boundary water and impacts to more than one state, the federal government should be in charge of making permitting decisions and should make those decisions in accordance with the requirements of federal law,” said Dale Burie, President of the Coalition.

The Coalition to SAVE the Menominee River, Inc. is a Wisconsin non-profit corporation dedicated to educating and supporting citizens regarding environmental issues affecting the Menominee River, including potential impacts of the proposed Back Forty Mine.

Our monthly meetings will be held at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 1600 University Drive, Marinette.

First Thursday of the month

6:30 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

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Back Forty Project wetland permit is approved by the DEQ Director despite contrary findings by Michigan’s DEQ Water Resources Division (WRD)

DEQ Director, C. Heidi Grether, in a June 4, 2018, letter of approval to Aquila Resources stated the following:

“We have determined that the project as proposed could not be permitted without additional supporting documentation because the hydrologic modeling provided does not define the anticipated impacts to aquatic resources described in the application.”

THEN WHY DID YOU APPROVE IT?

To view entire letter, go to “Approval Letter from DEQ to Aquila“

 

The Water Resources Division of Michigan’s DEQ, in its FINDING of FACT and CONCLUSIONS of LAW, clearly demonstrates why the permit should have been denied:

“WRD finds that the project does not demonstrate that an unacceptable disruption to the aquatic resources of the State will not occur and that the activities associated with the project are not consistent with the permitting criteria for an acceptable impact to the resources regulated under Parts 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, and Part 303, Wetlands Protection.”

SO WHY DID THE DIRECTOR REVERSE THE FINDINGS OF THE WRD?

To view entire Finding of Fact and Conclusions of Law, go to “Finding of Fact“

 

While the wetland permit has been approved, it comes with 30 pages of conditions that MUST be satisfied in order to proceed. Along with that, the three previously-approved permits also include numerous pages of conditions.

To view these 30 pages of wetland conditions, go to  “Conditions of Wetland Permit“

DEMAND ANSWERS FROM DIRECTOR GRETHER AS TO WHY SHE APPROVED THIS PERMIT!
Call 517-284-6700
Email: gretherh@michigan.gov

Many thanks to all who support us in this environmental fight to protect the Menominee River.