http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/
Regarding the copper-nickel mining issue, I want to mention a bit of history I have witnessed.
In the 1940s, my father worked for the railroad, entitling families free train travel. My aunt’s family lived in Kirkland Lake, Ontario. Trains traveled circuitous routes then so we passed through Sudbury, Ontario. We were aware of mining there but unconcerned. In 1965 my family and I traveled that route to visit. On the way we decided to see the “big nickel.” When we reached the hilltop I looked around and observed a nightmare. It was black as far as one could see. Nothing but black. That was the legacy of copper-nickel mining.
The publicity for and against the Range project set me to thinking. My husband Googled the words “Earth/Sudbury” and retrieved significant information. Today “Greater Sudbury,” as it is called because of its expansion, has grown and prospered due to diversification. However, the original Sudbury, in spite of 50 years of reclamation efforts, still remains devastated.
The Chamber of Commerce of Sudbury acknowledges the devastation of the past but promotes the positive surrounding area. There is no mention of outcome for the watersheds that ultimately go to Lake Huron by way of the rivers and streams. There is no mention of health issues from breathing the black dust or birth defects.
Follow the trail of mine owners over the years, including foreign companies. Why has no one ever mentioned this mining area when it is still working, admittedly on a smaller scale?
By 2010, re-greening programs successfully rehabilitated about 8,275 acres of land in the city. About 74,100 acres have yet to be rehabilitated. The program began in the 1970s.
I recommend readers use Google Earth and locate Sudbury.
Roberta Plewa
Hermantown
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