With the demand for minerals required to power the transition to clean energy rising, mines such as the Eagle mine find themselves in the limelight. The Eagle mine is a high-grade copper and nickel mining project, located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in western Marquette County.
The mine, which is operated and owned by Lundin Mining, is the sole primary nickel mine in the United States. Currently, the mine is helping meet the demand for batteries used in electric cars along with stainless steel.
For some time now, the Biden administration has been promoting the mine as a project that can generate minerals domestically, eliminating the need for materials from China while steering clear of various issues. Not everyone agrees with this, however, especially parties that have been fighting to stop the project.
One tribe member of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, Chris Swartz, reveals that no social responsibility license was obtained from the community to launch the mine.
The mine saw months of arrests and protests at Eagle Rock in its early days. The area is considered sacred by the tribe, ceded under an agreement in the 1800s, with tribe members still possessing the right to worship, gather, hunt and fish on the land. Environmentalists and tribe members even sued to block this state-approved mine but, sadly, lost the case in 2009.
The growing push to extract more minerals is expected to impact the area’s ecosystem, affecting rivers in the region as well as various vulnerable species. It doesn’t help that different issues that have been raised such as potential collapse while structural problems are yet to be addressed.
Critics have also raised concerns that disturbing sulfide ore, which clings to metals including nickel, could release heavy metals and sulfuric acid into nearby wetlands and rivers, ultimately leaching into Lake Superior. This is in addition to highlighting the need for a stricter federally managed water-quality permit.
Despite this, mine operations continue in full swing, with the global shift to electric cars driving the demand for raw metals. Currently, nickel from Indonesia dominates the global nickel market, with China refining the majority of the nickel produced globally.
In addition to competing with cheap nickel from Indonesia, this U.S. mine is also fighting against a critical minerals trade deal involving Indonesia and the U.S., which would see the Asian country qualify for tax credits. Operators at Eagle mine warn that the success of this agreement would make it harder to mine domestically and lower nickel prices.
Nonetheless, Lundin Mining is implementing a number of programs, such as the Community Environmental Monitoring Program (CEMP), which are aimed at safeguarding water quality, boosting transparency and fostering communication between local communities and the mining company, among others. These initiatives could form a template on the way mining operations can be conducted responsibly within sensitive cultural lands.
Other players in the nickel industry, such as Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF), can also play a big role in transforming the way mineral exploration and production firms impact the environment and the communities in which they operate.
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Fathom Nickel Inc. (CSE: FNI) (FSE: 6Q5) (OTCQB: FNICF) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/FNICF
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