HIGH-GRADE NI-CU-PT-PD-ZN-CR-AU-V-TI DISCOVERIES IN THE "RING OF FIRE"

NI 43-101 Update (September 2012): 11.1 Mt @ 1.68% Ni, 0.87% Cu, 0.89 gpt Pt and 3.09 gpt Pd and 0.18 gpt Au (Proven & Probable Reserves) / 8.9 Mt @ 1.10% Ni, 1.14% Cu, 1.16 gpt Pt and 3.49 gpt Pd and 0.30 gpt Au (Inferred Resource)

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Message: On both sides of the river, resistance mounts over planned smelting plant

Timmins snickers a bit....

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https://www.sooeveningnews.com/news/20191119/on-both-sides-of-river-resistance-mounts-over-planned-smelting-plant

On both sides of the river, resistance mounts over planned smelting plant

 

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By Taylor R. Worsham for the Sault News

Posted at 8:00 AM
 

In May, Noront Resources Ltd., a Canadian-based mining company, selected Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, as the location for a new ferrochrome production facility (FPF).

Ferrochrome is a crucial ingredient in composing steel. The new plant will be located on the Algoma Steel property located just across the river, pending a land agreement with the steelmaker. However, some citizens on the American side are not happy regarding the decision. Local barista and LSSU student Tomantha Sylvester is one of two leaders of a Sault, Michigan-based protest group.

“I feel that everyone has a responsibility to take care of the earth,” Sylvester explained. “If you are able to stand up against profit over people, then that’s what should be done, so long as it’s done with a good heart. I especially felt a sense of responsibility because of the location and how close we are to each other. We are surrounded by water sources that need to be protected. It’s not something we should be risking, because with any man-made product, it isn’t a matter of ‘if’ something will go wrong, it’s ‘when.’ I’m all for creating jobs, but the long term effects will be detrimental to our ecosystems, animal life, and human health. Ferrochrome is an iron-chromium alloy, which means that chromium is the byproduct. It has been proven that chromium dust settles out of the air, contaminating everything it touches. It isn’t anything that should be messed around with.”

Chippewa County has not been formally consulted about this issue, but discussions have taken place with Sault Ste. Marie. These discussions “provided the project team with a letter of support that was included in the submission to Noront.”

“The city’s submission was based on comprehensive research and analysis by the Sault Ste. Marie FPF project team, in consultation with sector experts,” according to information from the Sault FPF project website. “It focused on competitive advantages such as: location, logistics, industrial workforce, infrastructure, and the community, and was aided by a great partner in Algoma Steel, along with operating and capital costs that were attractive to Noront.”

The construction of the facility will cost $1 billion, start in mid-2025, and will take three years to build. However, this itinerary is conditional given the construction of the “Ring of Fire,” a developing and vital infrastructure for smelting and mining. Additionally, there is substantial planning left to do before mid-2025 rolls around, such as environmental and feasibility assessments, project design, technical approvals, and more.

“We believe that a modern ferrochrome production facility can be built and safely operated,” Noront representatives explained. “One that will create hundreds of well-paying jobs in the region for generations of workers.”

Once operational, the facility is slated to employ between 300 and 500 people directly, plus 1,000 others through suppliers and other businesses, according to the FPF project website.

But, even with promises of jobs, the issue has been met with some resistance on the Canadian side of the border, as well.

 

“Our mayor and council have been treating the construction of this smelter as a sure thing despite never having asked the people they serve if we want it,” said Abigail Obenchain, a Canadian citizen who is a part of a group called Concerned Citizens of Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario). “But by far my biggest concern in bringing carcinogen pollutants into our city. Nowhere else in North America is there a ferrochrome smelter inside a city. There is a reason for that. Ferrochrome smelting is dangerous. The company is promising magical, pollution-free technology, but I don’t think it exists, and even if it did, technology gets old and breaks, and it’s run by people, who make mistakes. It is not worth the risk.”

She elaborated that the issue especially resonates with her because her brother died of cancer last December.

“It’s a horrible way to die,” she said. “I feel a moral imperative to do everything in my power to stop the construction of a smelter that is likely to be a source of chromium pollutants. Chromium VI is well-documented to be carcinogenic. According to Cancer Care Ontario, Sault Ste. Marie has the highest cancer rate in Ontario. It’s utter madness to put a smelter that could release chromium VI into our air, land, and water inside of our city and upwind/upstream of thousands of people on both sides of the river.”

Last year, the Sault FPF project Team responded to Canadian citizen questions regarding this matter. Local residents are worried about the various issues this new plant might have on the city, such as negative environmental impact, negative tourism impact, negative property value impact, and so on.

“Most of the concerns raised by community members relate to environmental and human health issues,” Noront representiatives told the Sault News. “If our design and permitting work over the next several years indicates that we cannot meet regulations or our own high standards for the safety of local citizens and the environment, then we won’t build the plant. As well as concerns, there’s a lot of support for Noront to construct the ferrochrome plant in Sault Ste. Marie, as long as it is done well.”

But opponents remain wary of such promises.

“The bottom line is, what is our vision for our city?” Obenchain said. “We are at a crossroads. Do we want to pursue a future with dirty, dangerous jobs or is there a safer, healthier path we can take? Does anyone actually want their kids or grandkids to grow up to work in a ferrochrome smelter?”

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