Cynthia Pryor, at Eagle Rock on April 15, 2010; Photo courtesy Chauncey Moran
A Big Bay resident was arrested today for “trespassing” on public land in the Escanaba River State Forest, in northern Marquette County. Cynthia Pryor planned on visiting Eagle Rock, site of Kennecott Minerals’ proposed “Eagle” mine, to keep an eye on the company’s activities. She was arrested while sitting on an old tree stump with her dog, Sophie.
She arrived to find Kennecott removing trees and widening a short road leading from the Triple A road to Eagle Rock, where the company plans to blast a portal for the mine. Pryor was confronted by Kennecott security guards who informed her that she was “trespassing” on land leased by the company from the State of Michigan. Reportedly, Pryor responded that she believed she was not trespassing, as she was on public land and Kennecott lacked a permit to begin construction activities at the site. Company security made some calls to area law enforcement, reporting Pryor’s presence at the small tract of public forest.
Both state and county law enforcement responded and informed Pryor that she was trespassing and told her to leave. Pryor refused, reiterating that she was not trespassing, as the site is on public land.
Pryor has been visited in jail by legal counsel. The Reverend Jon Magnuson, a close friend, attempted to speak with her this evening. According to Magnuson, while he wasn’t allowed to visit with Pryor, he was able to pass prayers along to her.
“Civil disobedience has a long and noble tradition in American democracy and part of the religious responsibility is to honor and respect that,” said Magnuson.
Students listen to a speaker on Eagle Rock; Photo courtesy Chauncey Moran
Kennecott, a subsidiary of Rio Tinto, has proposed to mine under the Salmon Trout River and through Eagle Rock, a sacred site to the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). Jessica Koski, a member of KBIC, attended Rio Tinto’s annual shareholder’s meeting, in London, last Thursday and expressed opposition to the Eagle Mine. While Koski was at the London meeting, community members gathered at Eagle Rock to celebrate public land rights. Kennecott security spoke to some attendees, but citizens remained on the land for the entire day and no confrontation or arrests took place.
“It’s interesting that it wasn’t trespassing on Thursday when roughly forty citizens gathered on Eagle Rock,” said Big Bay citizen Adrian Bakker.
According to a state lease for the mine site, Kennecott must have all permits in hand before the land use lease is official. The company still lacks a federal permit for discharging wastewater at the site.
In a letter dated March 22, Rio Tinto’s Eagle Project manager, Jon Cherry, notified the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DNRE) that the company “has determined” that it doesn’t need permits from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for wastewater injection permits at the proposed Eagle Mine. According to Cherry, Rio Tinto “certifies” that it has all the permits it needs to begin mine construction.
In a quick response on the same day, Lynne Boyd, Chief of the DNRE’s Forest Management Division, agreed that Rio Tinto could begin its project, “based on the certifications” the company provided.
According to one official the news “surprised and confused” federal agencies that “have not made a decision” on whether or not Rio Tinto must still obtain federal permits for its redesigned wastewater drainage system.
Kennecott staging equipment on private property next to the proposed Eagle Mine site
Two days ago Kennecott spokesperson, Matt Johnson, former district representative for Governor Jennifer Granholm, said the mining company has still not received a response from the EPA on whether the company needs a federal permit.
Pryor is currently awaiting arraignment in the Marquette County Jail. She has refused bail.
Trespassing is trespassing!
Screw you, kennecott
Typical, a big company scared of a crowd but acts like a bully when its just one woman out there. Its time to get tough with these people. Do a sit in, camp on the area, don’t let them build. Bring the problem into the national light. It worked for tree sitters in the Pacific Northwest, it can work here. They are a large company that is already shown to be corrupt and that the Michigan DEQ is compliant with them.
I COULDN’T SUPPORT HER MORE! BRAVO TO HER FOR STANDING UP FOR ALL OF US! KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK AND WE ALL LOVE AND SUPPORT YOU!!!!!!!!!
I would suggest that it is Kennecott that is trespassing. It’s public land.
It is very interesting that an event was held at Eagle Rock last Thursday and there was no hint of arrest from the Kennecott guards. Nothing has changed with this situation since then. Do they only arrest on Thursday?
I mean Tuesday, at the end, not Thursday.
Kennecott doesn’t want to take a chance that the EPA will require a federal wastewater discharge permit so they’re moving ahead with clearing the site so they can later claim that they’ve already invested in mine construction and it is too late to worry about federal permits. This is exactly what they did when they were facing an injunction against construction of their Flambeau mine in Wisconsin. They failed to carry out studies of endangered species at the minesite and wanted to get as much land cleared before the courts could decide whether they violated the law. This is an outlaw mining company. We need more people with Cynthia’s courage.
As A former Rio Tinto Miner that was locked out along with more then 600 fellow Union workers (ILWU local 30) at Rio Tinto’s US Borax mine in California I am glad you are fighting to keep the public land. This is a company that will do anything to get it’s way so please be careful and keep up the good fight fellow Americans. As a Backpacker you all make me proud knowing you are keeping the Forest just that a Forest and not destroyed. And a special thank you to Cynthia Pryor.
A lone woman. GET HER…
Wow they must really be in the wrong to not want one lone woman seeing their actions. To start the process to get the land ready. They have no intention of letting their mine be denied. One way or another they plan to get what they want and woe to anyone who gets in their way. These people could be very dangerous. They obviously don’t care who they hurt or what they damage.
We need to protect our land. Not take it for all we can get and trash the rest.
What a bunch of cowards. Cynthia you have my support! You are a brave, couragous American Woman! Thank you for your American spirit!!
This is outrageous!!! Cynthia Pryor, I admire your dedication to saving the wild U.P.!
The Mining Journal’s coverage has no mention of the permits, which is essentially the key to this story. Based on their coverage, some people might view her as an extremist. Not that they had a lot, but the MJ’s credibility has gone way down with me. Moral: Do not trust them for coverage of developments with this project.
What’s this? Ten days have passed without a comment? Here goes …
Kennecott spokesperson Jon Cherry was wrong on all counts, as was Ms Boyd of the MDNRE and her decision to give Kennecott the go ahead.
Cherry wrote that Kennecott did not need EPA approval for their Treated Water Injection System (TWIS) because their proposed modifications mean that it no longer qualifies as a Subterranean Fluid Distribution System. Remember those four words.
Now Google “USEPA GLOSSARY UIC” and scroll down to those four words. This is the official EPA definition: “An assemblage of perforated pipes, drain tiles, or other similar mechanisms intended to distribute fluids below the surface of the ground.”
Perfect! It matters not if the pipes are above or below the surface of the ground.
The “Determination” was not only false but also unusually arrogant, even for Kennecott.
JP 4.3.2010
When will the “good” people of Marquette hold their elected officials accountable to protect the public trust. We’ve already seen one two-faced hypocrite cave in to political pressure and sell out his morals. Is this what people do up there? Let old women and kids battle the corrupt corporations and politicians while the rest of you local yocals play deaf and dumb. You deserve to have your natural beauty stripped away acre by acre. The U.P is suppose to be someplace special. What a joke!
Hey, precious one, I will be lighting a candle for you each day! Justice and Truth will eventually triumph. You are strong and courageous. Love to you!
Kennecott: you are on the verge of committing yet-another environmental crime. And it is evil.
If we can’t trust Big Multi-National Corporations to look after our interest who can we trust?
I completely agree with it
Money talks. Isn’t is sad. Kennecott doesn’t give a flip that they will ruin the environment of the area. They don’t live there, or hike there, or swim there, or fish there, or boat there, or camp there. It should be againt the law for a multi-national company to this to the land. Grandholm and who ever else is allowing this to happen should have to live with the polluted waters in their backyards.