The MDEQ announced a public hearing to review the permit to build Kennecott’s south haul road, known now as the Woodland Road, from the Yellow Dog Plains to Humboldt Township. The hearing will be held on February 10, 2009 at 7pm at Westwood High School (300 Westwood Drive, Ishpeming, MI 49849). The company plans to cross 8 waterways including the Yellow Dog River, Mulligan Creek, Dead River, Middle Branch Escanaba River, Wildcat Canyon, and more. According to the company, 38 acres of wetlands will be removed. There are several ways to access the information submitted by the company.
1. The Peter White Public Library has the application on file.
2. Visit http://www.michigan.gov/deq/0,1607,7-135-3307_29692_24403—,00.html for the full application. Scroll down to What’s New and click on Woodland Road Permit Application.
3. Visit http://www.deq.state.mi.us/lwmpnh/default.asp?PermitNo=09520086 for notice of hearings and summary of application. Comments can also be emailed by using this link.
4. Use this document, Woodland_Road_Analysis[1],  to help understand why the MDEQ should not approve these permit and formulate comments for the hearing.

Written comments will be accepted 10 days after the scheduled hearing. Please make it to this meeting. This area should be left wild and building a haul road straight through it will endanger wildlife, plant ecosystems, opportunities for solitude, and water quality of 8 different waterways. We will keep you posted on more updates as the comment period approaches.