Big Bay Reacts To Kennecott Decision
A day after the Department of Environmental Quality issued its preliminary approval of Kennecott’s plans to build a controversial nickel and copper mine in northwest Marquette County, residents of Big Bay are reacting.
Big Bay is the nearest community to the mine site, and many residents vehemently opposed Kennecott’s plans.
“I don’t feel like the people are being heard,” said resident Sharon Cartier. “I think there’s a great number of people–thousands, I guess–that are actually against the sulfide mine.”
The nickel and copper would be extracted from a sulfide deposit, and environmentalists fear it could damage the area.
Other residents say the fight against Kennecott appears to be over.
“It looks like it’s coming, anyway,” says resident Joe Cram. “So let’s make it good for our community now that it’s coming. But I feel we have to keep them off of 550.”
County Road 550 is the road from Big Bay to Marquette, and it’s believed the ore, once it’s extracted, might be transported down the road on large trucks.
