The proposal of a new nickel-sulfide mine can raise red flags, especial considering that there is no evidence that there has ever been a clean operation of such mines.
"The track history of nickel-sulfide mining is not good," says Kelly Applegate, Commissioner of Natural Resources for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. "These operations... have always led to a degraded environment, significant risk to water quality, air and land pollution, and other impacts."
The proposed mine location near Tamarack, Minnesota is within two miles of Tribal Lands; lands used for harvesting food, fishing, gathering wild rice, and more. The Water Over Nickel Campaign aims to educate and inform people about the risks and responsibilities involved with this issue.
"We live in a certain harmony with the earth and its resources and have a great deep respect for water," says Applegate. "We work our hardest to protect that." The domino effect of any future pollution could have negative impacts locally and potentially infect the regional watershed and beyond.
To learn more, visit the Water Over Nickel website. An Emmy-winning video was also created and can be viewed online.
You can hear Green Visions at 8:20am every Wednesday on Northland Morning.
