ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- A coalition of 59 groups from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to conduct a broad review of the cumulative effects of expanded mining in the Lake Superior basin.
They've written to the EPA's regional administrator in Chicago, Susan Hedman, to ask the federal agency to study the long-term effects of mining activities, including copper mines proposed or planned for northeastern Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, as well as a proposed iron mine in northern Wisconsin.
Paula Maccabee, attorney for the Minnesota group Water Legacy, says they want the EPA to study how multiple new mining projects might combine to adversely impact Lake Superior. One of their main concerns is mercury pollution.
EPA regional spokeswoman Phillippa Cannon says the agency is reviewing the letter.
