Crandon mine
Encyclopedia
The proposed Crandon mine in Northeastern Wisconsin
, USA near the town of Crandon
and the Mole Lake Ojibwe Reservation
in Forest County
was the site of multi-decade political and regulatory battle between environmentalists, American Indian tribes, sportfishing groups, and the State of Wisconsin and multiple large mining corporations. The purchase of the mine site in 2003 by the Sokaogon Ojibwe
and Forest County Potawatomi marked a major victory for the tribes and environmental activists, and raised questions over the future of mining, economics, and tribal power in Wisconsin.
ore found in Northern Wisconsin during the 1970s though its estimated 60 million tons of copper
, zinc
and other metallic sulfides was thought to hold the highest possibility for profit. Three sites in all were proposed for digging. From the outset, environmental groups opposed the process of extracting precious metals from the sulfide ore, which if not properly handled may create sulfuric acid
as a waste product. Each of the three sites was sufficiently close to an Ojibwe reservation to attract tribal opposition as well. Proposals by Kennecott Minerals Company to mine the first site, near Ladysmith, Wisconsin
were initially rejected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
. However, after Kennecott's buyout by Rio Tinto
zinc, and the governorship of the pro-business Tommy Thompson
, the mine was allowed to open in face of the opposition and operated from 1993 to 1997. However, a similar proposal by the Canadian company Noranda
to mine a deposit in Oneida County
failed in part because of heavy opposition by the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe
. These smaller battles set the stage and prepared both sides in the larger fight over the Crandon proposal.
meant that any liquid waste escaping the mine threatened one of the National Wild and Scenic River
s in the state. In addition to white residents all along the bank, the Menominee
and Mohican
(Stockbridge-Munsee
) reservations lay downstream and brought more Indigenous people concerns to the table.
in the late seventies. The Mole Lake community opposed it from the start, which put them at odds with many people in nearby towns who hoped mining jobs would provide steady employment for the depressed region. By 1986, with the Ojibwe still a few years away from their conflict over treaty rights during the Walleye Wars
, and lacking support outside the reservation, the mine probably would have happened, but Exxon withdrew its permit application due to low world mineral prices. By the time they returned in 1994, the Sokaogon band was waiting.
In the late eighties and nineties, clashes over spearfishing and the experience of other mining conflicts resulted in a broad-based coalition prepared to use treaty rights to stop the mine at any cost. The Ojibwe joined with the Potawatomi, Menominee, and Mohican to lobby against the mine in the capital at Madison
and in the courts. In doing so, they secured numerous protective designations for the Wolf, which made the standards for pollution harsher on a mine. In addition, the spearing conflict and an educational campaign undertaken by the four tribes to raise awareness of Native issues, had the effect of showing white residents the value of the treaty rights possessed by the Indians. As a result, the tribes and Wolf River locals formed a much more unified opposition than had been seen in the other conflicts. Coming off a 1996 victory in the Bad River Train Blockade
, this coalition's greatest success came when Governor, Tommy Thompson
was forced by political pressure to sign a mining moratorium into state law in 1998. The moratorium mandated that mining companies prove similar mines had existed safely before the state would grant permits.
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
, USA near the town of Crandon
Crandon, Wisconsin
Crandon is a city in Forest County, Wisconsin, United States; it is in the northeastern part of the state, about north of Green Bay. The population was 1,920 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Forest County and is the only incorporated community in the county...
and the Mole Lake Ojibwe Reservation
Sokaogon Chippewa Community
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community, or the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is a band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, many of whom reside on the Mole Lake Indian Reservation, an Indian reservation located at in Mole Lake, Wisconsin, in Forest County near Crandon.The Mole Lake Indian...
in Forest County
Forest County, Wisconsin
Forest County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2010 census, the population was 9,304. Its county seat is Crandon.-Indian Reservations:...
was the site of multi-decade political and regulatory battle between environmentalists, American Indian tribes, sportfishing groups, and the State of Wisconsin and multiple large mining corporations. The purchase of the mine site in 2003 by the Sokaogon Ojibwe
Sokaogon Chippewa Community
The Sokaogon Chippewa Community, or the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is a band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, many of whom reside on the Mole Lake Indian Reservation, an Indian reservation located at in Mole Lake, Wisconsin, in Forest County near Crandon.The Mole Lake Indian...
and Forest County Potawatomi marked a major victory for the tribes and environmental activists, and raised questions over the future of mining, economics, and tribal power in Wisconsin.
Background
The Crandon site was only one of several deposits of metallic-sulfideSulfide
A sulfide is an anion of sulfur in its lowest oxidation state of 2-. Sulfide is also a slightly archaic term for thioethers, a common type of organosulfur compound that are well known for their bad odors.- Properties :...
ore found in Northern Wisconsin during the 1970s though its estimated 60 million tons of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
and other metallic sulfides was thought to hold the highest possibility for profit. Three sites in all were proposed for digging. From the outset, environmental groups opposed the process of extracting precious metals from the sulfide ore, which if not properly handled may create sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
as a waste product. Each of the three sites was sufficiently close to an Ojibwe reservation to attract tribal opposition as well. Proposals by Kennecott Minerals Company to mine the first site, near Ladysmith, Wisconsin
Ladysmith, Wisconsin
Ladysmith is a city in Rusk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,932 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Rusk County. It is the former location of Mount Senario College, which closed in 2002 due to significant debt. For the 2006-2007 school year, part of the former campus...
were initially rejected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is an agency of the state of Wisconsin. Its purpose is to preserve, protect, manage and maintain the natural resources of the state. The WDNR has the authority to set policy for itself and to recommend regulations for approval by the State Legislature...
. However, after Kennecott's buyout by Rio Tinto
Rio Tinto Group
The Rio Tinto Group is a diversified, British-Australian, multinational mining and resources group with headquarters in London and Melbourne. The company was founded in 1873, when a multinational consortium of investors purchased a mine complex on the Rio Tinto river, in Huelva, Spain from the...
zinc, and the governorship of the pro-business Tommy Thompson
Tommy Thompson
Thomas George "Tommy" Thompson , a United States Republican politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, after which he served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls...
, the mine was allowed to open in face of the opposition and operated from 1993 to 1997. However, a similar proposal by the Canadian company Noranda
Noranda
Noranda Inc. was a mining and metallurgy company originally from Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec, Canada. It was listed on the TSX under the symbol NRD.LV. After eventually acquiring a large interest in rival mining company Falconbridge, it merged with that company in 2005. The combined company continued...
to mine a deposit in Oneida County
Oneida County, Wisconsin
Oneida County is a county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of 2000, the population was 36,776. Its county seat is Rhinelander.-Geography:According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,236 square miles , of which 1,124 square miles is land and 111 square...
failed in part because of heavy opposition by the Lac du Flambeau Ojibwe
Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa are an Ojibwa Native American tribe, with an Indian reservation lying mostly in the Town of Lac du Flambeau in south-western Vilas County, and in the Town of Sherman in south-eastern Iron County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
. These smaller battles set the stage and prepared both sides in the larger fight over the Crandon proposal.
Potential Opposition
Although the mine was known by the name of the nearby town of Crandon, the "Mole Lake mine" may have been a more appropriate description since the site lay adjacent to the Mole Lake reservation of the Sokaogon Ojibwe. The Ojibwe feared what consequences runoff from the sulfide mine could have on the reservation's Rice Lake, a site of immense cultural and historical importance to the band. Five miles east, the Forest County Potawatomi had similar fears that the wind would carry air pollution from the mine to their reservation. Furthermore, its location on a tributary of the Wolf RiverWolf River (Fox River)
The Wolf River, long, is one of the two National Scenic Rivers in Wisconsin, along with the St. Croix River. The scenic portion is long. It rises in the north woods of the state, with the northernmost fork stemming from Pine Lake in Forest County. The river then flows south through Langlade and...
meant that any liquid waste escaping the mine threatened one of the National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River
National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...
s in the state. In addition to white residents all along the bank, the Menominee
Menominee
Some placenames use other spellings, see also Menomonee and Menomonie.The Menominee are a nation of Native Americans living in Wisconsin. The Menominee, along with the Ho-Chunk, are the only tribes that are indigenous to what is now Wisconsin...
and Mohican
Mohican
-Native Americans:* Mahican , a Native American tribe who lived in and around the Hudson Valley* Mohegan, a functional confederation of several branches of Native Americans during the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century...
(Stockbridge-Munsee
Stockbridge-Munsee Community
The Stockbridge-Munsee Community is a Federally recognized Indian tribe consisting of the Mahican and Munsee peoples. Their land-base, the Stockbridge-Munsee Indian Reservation, is located at in Shawano County, Wisconsin, in the towns of Bartelme and Red Springs.-In popular culture:In The West...
) reservations lay downstream and brought more Indigenous people concerns to the table.
History
The first proposal to mine the Crandon site was put forth by ExxonExxon
Exxon is a chain of gas stations as well as a brand of motor fuel and related products by ExxonMobil. From 1972 to 1999, Exxon was the corporate name of the company previously known as Standard Oil Company of New Jersey or Jersey Standard....
in the late seventies. The Mole Lake community opposed it from the start, which put them at odds with many people in nearby towns who hoped mining jobs would provide steady employment for the depressed region. By 1986, with the Ojibwe still a few years away from their conflict over treaty rights during the Walleye Wars
Wisconsin Walleye War
Civil unrest erupted in Wisconsin after U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Crabb handed down a ruling on August 21, 1987 that affirmed the treaty right of six Ojibwe or Chippewa tribal governments to regulate their members' hunting and fishing outside of the reservation boundaries, based on the...
, and lacking support outside the reservation, the mine probably would have happened, but Exxon withdrew its permit application due to low world mineral prices. By the time they returned in 1994, the Sokaogon band was waiting.
In the late eighties and nineties, clashes over spearfishing and the experience of other mining conflicts resulted in a broad-based coalition prepared to use treaty rights to stop the mine at any cost. The Ojibwe joined with the Potawatomi, Menominee, and Mohican to lobby against the mine in the capital at Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and in the courts. In doing so, they secured numerous protective designations for the Wolf, which made the standards for pollution harsher on a mine. In addition, the spearing conflict and an educational campaign undertaken by the four tribes to raise awareness of Native issues, had the effect of showing white residents the value of the treaty rights possessed by the Indians. As a result, the tribes and Wolf River locals formed a much more unified opposition than had been seen in the other conflicts. Coming off a 1996 victory in the Bad River Train Blockade
Bad River Train Blockade
The Bad River train blockade was a 1996 protest on the Bad River Ojibwe Reservation in Ashland County, Wisconsin USA. Ojibwe activists blocked the railroad tracks that would have brought sulfuric acid to a mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan bringing national scrutiny on the United States...
, this coalition's greatest success came when Governor, Tommy Thompson
Tommy Thompson
Thomas George "Tommy" Thompson , a United States Republican politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, after which he served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls...
was forced by political pressure to sign a mining moratorium into state law in 1998. The moratorium mandated that mining companies prove similar mines had existed safely before the state would grant permits.
Conclusion
In a mid-nineties lawsuit finally decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2002, the right of Indian nations to have "Treatment as a State" status on applicable issues was interpreted to apply to setting and enforcing clean air and water standards. This meant the tribes could set their own, potentially far more restrictive limits than those of the Department of Natural Resources essentially meaning a potential Crandon mine would have to be completely free of pollution This was the end of the economic viability of the project, and on October 28, 2003, the Mole Lake Ojibwe and Forest County Potawatomi used $16.5 million dollars worth of casino revenue to purchase the mine site and Nicolet Minerals Inc. which was its latest owner. Neither tribe has plans to develop the site in the foreseeable future. The death of the Crandon project has disappointed many in the area who had hoped it would bring an economic boost to the depressed region instead of what a former Crandon project manager referred to as the "end of mining in the state." Mining publications consistently rank the anti-mining climate in Wisconsin as the most hostile to the industry.Further reading
- Michael O'Brien, 2008, Exxon and the Crandon Mine Controversy, Badger Books LLC, ISBN 978-1932542370.
See also
- Bad River Train BlockadeBad River Train BlockadeThe Bad River train blockade was a 1996 protest on the Bad River Ojibwe Reservation in Ashland County, Wisconsin USA. Ojibwe activists blocked the railroad tracks that would have brought sulfuric acid to a mine in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan bringing national scrutiny on the United States...
- Sokaogon Chippewa CommunitySokaogon Chippewa CommunityThe Sokaogon Chippewa Community, or the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, is a band of the Lake Superior Chippewa, many of whom reside on the Mole Lake Indian Reservation, an Indian reservation located at in Mole Lake, Wisconsin, in Forest County near Crandon.The Mole Lake Indian...
- Forest County Potawatomi