The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a public hearing taking place at Northern Michigan University to accept comments from all those concerned that the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is considering issuing a permit that would allow the Marquette County Roads Commission to fill wetlands for proposed County Road 595. As many of you know, the construction of proposed County Road 595 aka the haul road for Kennecott Eagle Minerals would affect 25.81 acres of wetlands and
require building 22 stream crossings along the 21.4-mile road running north-south through relatively untouched wilderness between U.S. Highway 41 and County Road Triple A.

The event will take place on Tuesday, August 28 at Northern Michigan University in the University Center in the Ontario/Michigan/Huron Rooms. An informational presentation and Q&A session will take place at 6 p.m. followed by the public hearing at 7 p.m. to accept comments for the record which could go until 10 p.m. when the facility closes. Aside from this the EPA is also accepting public comments in written form until September 4. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality is expected to make a decision on whether to grant the permits sometime shortly after that.

At this point the EPA has reviewed the proposed project and questions whether there are practical, alternate routes which would cause less impact to aquatic resources. It is not a done deal. Even though the MDEQ may issue a wetlands fill permit, and the Transportation Economic Development fund has earmarked $2.6 million in state tax dollars to pave a connecting section between CR595 and the Eagle Project. The EPA still retains oversight to reject to the proposed project if it does not comply with federal guidelines.

Written comments should be sent to

Melanie Haveman

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

(WW-16J)

77 W. Jackson Blvd.

Chicago, IL 60604-3590

r5_cr595_comments@epa.gov