In any large industrial operation there needs to be the proper environmental checks and balances.

Regulatory agencies at the state and federal levels are charged with overseeing these controls, and how they carry out their mission is fairly straightforward and spelled out in the laws governing industry.

A good case in point is the Humboldt Mill that processes ore from the Eagle Mine. The mill began handling rock from the mine last fall and went into full production this year, with 45 large truckloads of rock being unloaded at the mill each day.

That’s a lot of rock to handle and in the process, water is used and then discharged, which requires a surface water discharge permit from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

The proper permit was obtained prior to mining beginning, with the required public notices published and hearings held as required by law.

Once Lundin Mining Co. – which owns Eagle Mine and the Humboldt Mill – began its operations last fall, it was learned that there were some adjustments needed in its permit. This is to be expected, seeing that pre-mining information for the permit was based on estimates, and actual data was collected once it starting operating.

So once again public notices were issued and a public hearing was held in mid-January on the proposed revisions to the permit.

Included in changes were higher concentrations of some metals, a much larger volume of water to be discharged and a second outflow point.

There were some concerns raised about the changes at the public hearings, which drew about 50 people.

The DEQ addressed those concerns, explaining why they were being made, and then included some suggestions made at the hearing into the revised permit.

This is how the system is supposed to work: Industry develops plans for a project within the laws that oversee it, regulatory agencies review the proposal to see that it meets requirements, the public has the opportunity to review and comment on the proposal and then – if approved – the regulatory agencies closely monitor the project for compliance to rules and regulations.

We believe it has worked in this case, and will result in an economically viable operation being run as environmentally sound as possible.