Giant mill won't be a good neighbor up north

You may have read the news announcing a plan to build an enormous oriented strand board manufacturing facility in Cohasset, Minn. ("Environmental analysis updated for wood plant," Jan. 27.) At first glance, the project might sound pretty good. More jobs and building materials in our region. But the proposed site is one mile from our reservation in the area protected by treaty rights, so we are taking a closer look at the project proposal.

What kind of neighbor will this be?

A neighbor who starts by cutting down eagle nests and putting them into a woodchipper. We were surprised when we read about the plan to destroy bald eagle nests in the environmental assessment prepared by Huber Engineered Woods. Although bald eagles are protected by federal law and sacred to Ojibwe people, Huber wants to destroy eagle nests when they could easily avoid them.

The nests illustrate larger problems. The proposed site is 400 acres of forested wetlands on the bank of a portion of the Mississippi River that holds hundreds of acres of wild rice. Huber is seeking a permit from the Army Corps to drain and fill wetlands. Wetlands are critical to many species of fish and wildlife, for food production, spawning and nursery habitat, refuge and the reduction of harmful pollutants in water. Wetlands along the Mississippi River also store stormwater and reduce flooding downstream.

The proposed site is owned by Minnesota Power, which is the steward of a great deal of sensitive wetland habitat. These wetlands were set aside for a water-dependent public utility and should not be offered to recruit industrial customers.

Acid rain and air quality are also significant troubles. The Boswell coal plant is currently emitting 647 tons of sulfur dioxide annually, or about two tons per day. The Huber plant would be on the same site, emitting 528 tons of nitrous oxides and other pollutants.

Sulfur dioxide and nitrous oxides interact to form acid rain that can travel long distances and wash out in local rain events. Acid rain damages vegetation, particularly conifers, and changes the acidity in soil to cause nutrient leaching. In water bodies it allows mercury to change into methylmercury, increasing mercury in fish and waterfowl. The Boswell plant has been emitting thousands of pounds of mercury for decades. Huber's air emissions would combine with Boswell's and harm everyone in our region.

Finally, the scale of air pollution hints at our biggest concern. The Huber plant would be enormous — the size of the old Metrodome. Truly a Mega Mill, it would consume far more timber than our region can sustain with significant negative effects on wildlife and treaty fisheries.

Huber has indicated that the plant will consume 614 million board feet annually. In perspective, that is half of the timber production of all state timber lands being taken from only one corner of our state. The demand for timber resources will be most intense within 75-100 miles of the plant, an area completely within the lands where Minnesota Chippewa Tribe members have protected treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather. This area includes the entire Leech Lake, Fond du Lac and Bois Forte Reservations, and portions of the Red Lake and White Earth Reservations.

One hundred years ago, timber interests destroyed our forests and decimated wildlife. Leech Lake understands the need for jobs and today provides over 1,200 jobs to Tribal and non-Tribal Minnesotans across the region. Don't let the historical tragedies of Leech Lake happen again.

The "Frontier Project" would repeat a tragic history of outsiders profiting at the expense of local resources. In this case, a New Jersey family's company wants to export Minnesota's wealth.

In 1855 the Ojibwe signed a treaty with the United States that reserved our rights to hunt and fish and gather wild rice in this area outside of our reservation. This Huber Mega Mill will diminish these rights and harm the environment that we all share. We urge everyone in Minnesota to take a closer look.

Faron Jackson Sr. is chairman, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe.