Letter to Jason Allen and “Lawmakers Oppose Anti-Mining Ballot Plan”

Note: Maura Campbell sent this letter in the form of an email to State Senator Jason Allen in response to this recent Associated Press article.  He was made aware that this letter would be shared publicly via social media when it was sent. The formal media response from the campaign will come from our passionate and eloquent MiWater team members in the UP.

Hi Jason,

Although I am generally in agreement with you on many issues, my R is green these days and I look forward to taking our case to the people to add more protections to MI’s existing sulfide mining law to protect our greatest natural resource — fresh water.

As you know a passion for water and our natural resources is not a partisan issue. It crosses all sorts of boundaries.

We promise to be informed, eloquent, passionate and fierce in our David vs. Goliath fight for Michigan and Great Lakes water and a better future for our state.

I was not surprised that all the UP Democrats lined up against our effort (the sulfide mining interests and misguided UP union leaders have been very persuasive) but I was hoping you would have waited a bit before choosing sides.

We hired John Pirich and others to make sure that we crafted a very sound law that is

• Legal and will stand up in court
• Effective by raising the bar to protect our most valuable resource: water
• Can win the hearts, minds and votes of all those in Michigan who know there is No Pure Michigan Without Pure Water.

We have engaged National Petition Management to help us gather the signatures so that we will get this on the ballot. And we will do everything possible to garner the signatures and votes needed in the Mitten, where the signatures and votes are, to win. 

A few things…

1. We do not ban sulfide or uranium mining.
2. Currently there are no regulations in Michigan pertaining to uranium mining — this measure takes the common sense approach of requiring rules be put in place before such mining can occur
3. The jobs and economic arguments are mired in the old economy. The mining companies have been holding out false promises of jobs. This is not the traditional mining of the UP. Very few jobs will go to UP folks. Rio Tinto, owner of Kennecott which is pushing the Eagle Mine project near Big Bay, is leading the way toward using robots not people in its mines.

As you know manufacturing jobs and mining jobs are not coming back in any great numbers. Both industries will continue to move toward automation and robotics. Increasingly MI’s economy is growing in the areas of tourism, green jobs and entrepreneurship. Mining is by its nature extractive and temporary. It goes away.

The Mackinac Center seems to want it both ways — Russ Harding blasts us and David Littman makes our case by showing where the economy is going and where the job growth will be.

Hint: it’s not in mining.

We look forward to working with many in and near your district including Governor Milliken in making a very strong and well thought out case.

Many Republicans are increasingly aware that our party cannot, and must not be mired in the past. I have the feeling I am not the only Michigan or Great Lakes Republican sporting a green R these days.

I guess we both are living proof that politics makes for strange bedfellows.

There is a long way to go before November 2010 — we plan to use that time wisely to make our case.

Respectfully,

Maura Campbell 
A determined David in this fight for pure water

There Can Be No Pure Michigan Without Pure Water by Babette Welch – Marquette Monthly

(Click for full text of “There Can Be No Pure Michigan Without Pure Water” by Babette Welch published in the Marquette Monthly)

Michigan’s very name is rooted in the Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian word for ‘large lake,’ and its handprint on the earth, the mitten-like Lower Peninsula and jagged-edged Upper Peninsula, is shaped by four of the five Great Lakes. They’re called lakes, but sailors referred to the planet’s largest bodies of fresh water as “Sweetwater Seas.”

So begins the successful advertising campaign for attracting millions of visitors and dollars to Michigan. A study commissioned for Travel Michigan concludes that every dollar Michigan invests in out-of-state tourism advertising generates $40.81 in total spending by tourists and $2.86 in new sales tax revenues for the state, according to Traverse City Record Eagle.

What a great return. And so much of that return depends on Michigan’s water—from trout streams to the Great Lakes, water is the central theme. Michiganders love their water. Now it is time to raise our voices to protect it and make sure it is pure for future generations… (read more on the Marquette Monthly site)

Michigan has been hurting economically. What is the impact of stopping this type of mining?Are there any jobs at stake?

The proposed sulfide mines and processing operation support few jobs overall and fewer still will go to local workers. Most of the jobs created by the mines are temporary at best and will go to specialized workers imported from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.  Also it is clear mining giants like Rio Tinto are fast moving away from using human miners at all and moving toward automated, robotic mining techniques. At the same time, one of the fastest growing  jobs sectors in Michigan is in alternative and sustainable energy which relies on clean, fresh water sources.  In addition, recreation and tourism is Michigan’s third largest economic sector and the potential devastation by this type of mining could have a severe adverse economic impact on this important and growing sector that was the inspiration behind the award-winning Pure Michigan spots. In fact, with the growth of areas such as wind energy including manufacturing wind turbines here in Michigan, it could be argued that the adverse environmental impact of sulfide mining could cost many more jobs than the very limited, temporary, direct jobs supported by the mining activity.