The Associated Press reports that Kennecott Eagle Minerals has applied for permits to dig for nickel and copper in an environmentally sensitive area of the Upper Peninsula, the first test of Michigan's new mining rules. The $100 million operation would create 100 to 120 jobs, but would use an extraction process known as sulfide mining that critics fear could pollute two rivers in the Lake Superior watershed. Kennecott says it can operate the mine while protecting the environment. One Mining Journal feature adds an aerial photo with annotations along with studies by Michigan Tech University detailing the concerns, and the other reports that the company plans to begin construction of the Eagle Project nickel mine by the fourth quarter of this year.

Also see Kennecott filing in the Mining Journal
And read Mine construction could get under way this year in the Mining Journal

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