State OKs permit change for controversial UP nickel mine; group pledges to sue over project

By Garret Ellison |  MLive.com  gellison@mlive.com 
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MARQUETTE, MI — State regulators have approved the modification of an environmental quality permit for a controversial nickel and copper mining project scheduled to begin production next year in the Upper Peninsula.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality on Friday, June 28 signed-off on the modified air permit for the Rio Tinto Eagle Mine project at 65100 AAA Road, about 30 miles northwest of Marquette in Michigamme Township.

The Marquette Mining Journal reports that owners of the controversial mine, opposed by environmental advocates in the U.P., have made several changes since the project’s initial air permit application was approved in 2007.

Modifications to the project include elimination of a dust collector and on-site ore crusher, and the addition of an enclosed storage building. The mine is in the process of being sold by the London-based Rio Tinto Group for $325 million to Lundin Mining Corp., headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

The approval follows a public comment period and March 12 public hearing on the project modification at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. The DEQ issued an89-page document compiling public comment and the agency response.

Meanwhile, a Marquette environmental group is pledging to sue the federal Environmental Protection Agency over the project, alleging the project is violating the Clean Water Act. The group, Save The Wild U.P., is circulating a petition seeking a federal investigation into what it calls a “regulatory fiasco at the Eagle Mine.”

Save The Wild U.P. issued a statement on its Facebook page in response to the air permit approval, alleging the DEQ ignored public demand for mine air filtration.

"That the Michigan DEQ would approve these modifications only bolsters our call for a federal corruption investigation,” said organization director Alexandra Thebert. “This regulatory agency is not acting in the best interests of taxpayers.”

In response to a 2012 letter to the editor in opposition to the mine, a spokesperson for Rio Tinto said the mine, developed using an underground mining method called “long-hole stope mining," will have a "regular and rigorous groundwater quality-monitoring program."

In January, the federal Environmental Protection Agency quashed a proposed 21-mile mine service road through the county that would have provided a convenient route for trucks hauling ore from the mine to a processing mill in Humboldt Township.

Officials said the proposed route "would have significant direct and indirect impacts on high quality wetland and stream resources, as well as on wildlife.”

The mine, which is approximately 50 percent completed, is estimated to yield approximately 23,000 metric tons of nickel and 22,000 tons of copper during its first three years. The mine will also produce precious metals and cobalt.

Rio Tinto discovered the Eagle deposit in 2002.

Email Garret Ellison or follow him on Twitter.

Former Michigan GOP Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop: 'I'm not running for governor'

By CHARLES CRUMM /Oakland Press
 charlie.crumm@oakpress.com; @crummc

 Mike Bishop for governor?

Speculation on the social media platform Facebook is that the former Michigan Senate majority leader from Rochester might challenge Michigan's Republican Gov. Rick Snyder in a primary next year.

Ron Dwyer, a Troy insurance agent and member of the 11th Congressional District Republican Committee, even floated his own informal poll Friday, asking who Republicans would prefer.

For the record, the majority of comments favored the sitting governor, who has upset some Republicans for his positions that the state should accept federal money to expand Medicaid as part of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, and for wanting fees and taxes to raise $1 billion for road improvements.

Snyder, it turns out, can breathe easy.

Bishop, an attorney who spent four years in the Michigan House and eight in the Senate before being term-limited out, says he's heard there are rumors out there.

But the 46-year-old says they don't come from him and he's not interested in taking on Snyder in a Republican primary.

"I'm not running for governor," Bishop said via a voicemail message late Friday evening. "I'm in the private sector now and out of the loop."

Bishop's last foray into politics was last year when he unsuccessfully tried to unseat Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper in a race overshadowed by President Barack Obama's re-election campaign, and a year when Democratic Party turnout was 8 percent higher than Republican turnout.

Snyder, likely to seek a second four-year term as governor, is likely to face Democrat Mark Schauer in 2014, assuming neither has a challenger from their own parties next summer.

Contact Charles Crumm at 248-745-4649, charlie.crumm@oakpress.com or follow him on Twitter @crummc and on Facebook. More information is at oaklandmichiganpolitics.blogspot.com.

Clark Hill acquires Pittsburgh's Thorp Reed & Armstrong

Clark Hill PLC announced Friday that Pittsburgh-based Thorp Reed & Armstrong LLP has merged with the Detroit-based law firm.

Thorp Reed's 80 attorneys are now part of Clark Hill, bringing the total to more than 300 lawyers for the combined firms, Clark Hill CEO John Hern said.

The deal involved pooling the ownership stakes of Thorp Reed's shareholders into Clark Hill's operations; no money exchanged hands as part of the merger, Hern said.

Hern said Thorp Reed's strong banking practice was one impetus for the merger, as was expanding the reach of Clark Hill's strong automotive and manufacturing practice.

"Our clients have a broader geographic footprint," Hern said. "There can be efficiencies derived from a broader bench, but clients also want lawyers to know their business and strong industry knowledge, and a strong bench is critical to the law industry going forward."

Thorp Reed's five offices in Pittsburgh; Philadelphia; Princeton, N.J.; Wilmington, Del.; and Wheeling, W.Va., will transition to the new Clark Hill Thorp Reed over the course of months to years, Hern said.

Clark Hill now will have 12 offices, including existing ones in Detroit, Birmingham, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Phoenix and Washington, D.C.

Clark Hill expanded in Chicago in 2010 with the acquisition of the intellectual-property law firm Trexler, Bushnell, Giangiorgi, Blackstone & Marr Ltd. and in Phoenix in 2009 with the merger of Norling, Kolsrud, Sifferman & Davis.

With a stagnant Southeast Michigan market, other firms have expanded in key markets this year. In January, Phoenix-based Mariscal, Weeks, McIntyre & Friedlander PA merged into Detroit-based Dickinson Wright PLLC

Southbound I-75, Zilwaukee Bridge detour begins April 1 2013 for Saginaw County construction

SAGINAW, MI — Southbound traffic on Interstate 75 will be detoured via I-675 through April 27 as part of a construction project that will be completed in the spring of 2015, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation. The detour begins Monday, April 1, as part of a $70-million project that includes the replacement of bearings on the Zilwaukee Bridge and other work on I-75. Roadwork extends from Janes Road to the north junction of I-675.

I-75 traffic restrictions will be as follows:

• April 1-27: southbound I-75 traffic will be detoured via I-675.
• Janes Road will remain closed and detoured via Outer Drive, Wadsworth Avenue and Tower Line Road.

Starting Saturday, April 27, and continuing through 2013:

• Northbound I-75 traffic will be maintained on I-75 Wednesday to Saturday, with traffic detoured using I-675 Sunday to Tuesday.
• Southbound I-75 traffic will be maintained on I-75 Sunday to Tuesday, with traffic detoured using I-675 Wednesday to Saturday until the completion of the project.

The project will continue with more detours through 2014 and is expected to be completed in April 2015, according to MDOT.
Improvements on I-75 include reconstructing the highway from Janes Road to the north junction of I-675, guardrail and storm drainage work, pavement restoration, and shoulder work on all Zilwaukee Bridge rampsfor a total investment of $29 million, according to MDOT.
The project is meant to maximize the life of the Zilwaukee Bridge   and improve the overall condition of I-75, according to MDOT.

The Janes Road bridge over I-75 is being replaced. Work, which began in November 2012, includes slope paving and approach replacement. The bridge is currently closed with traffic detoured to Wadsworth Road. Once Janes Road bridge work is complete, crews will begin resurfacing the Wadsworth Road bridge over I-75, including repair work under the bridge, painting, and concrete surface coating. Wadsworth traffic will be detoured to Janes Road. The investment for this section of the project is $6 million, MDOT said.

Zilwaukee Bridge
The Zilwaukee Bridge project includes replacing bearings, bridge deck overlay and barrier repairs and electrical work. Southbound bearing replacement, including the road and bridge work project, begins April 1 and continues through January 2014. Northbound bearing replacement will begin after work is completed on the southbound lanes and is expected to last through January 2015. The total investment for this part of the project is $36 million.
Work on the Zilwaukee Bridge includes:

• Replacing 32 expansion joint bearings (16 in each direction).
• Replacing 98 pier bearings (48 northbound and 50 southbound).
• Replacing eight abutment bearings (four in each direction).
• Repairing or replacing nearly 10,000 feet of bridge barrier.
• Repairing 3.2 percent of the total surface area of the bridge deck concrete overlay.
• Applying a sealant to the bridge deck in both directions, including Ramp H.
• Replacing all bearings on Ramp H.

For updated information about the project visit MDOT's I-75 and Zilwaukee Bridge improvements project web site. Business owners and community stakeholders can contact the Bay City Transportation Service Center at 989-671-1555 or MDOT-z-bridge@michigan.gov.

Chubb to Seek More Rate in Northeast; Q4 Profit Drops 77% on Sandy Losses

Chubb Corp. says it plans to seek higher rate increases for Homeowners insurance in the Northeast, following the impact of Superstorm Sandy—the largest catastrophe in Chubb’s history.

Sandy, which made landfall at Southern New Jersey in late October 2012, affected core states for the Warren, N.J.-based insurer.

The storm set records for the company in terms of claims and net catastrophe loss—$882 million pretax.

And as Chubb looks forward, Dino E. Robusto, president of personal lines, says during an earnings conference call, “We plan to file for rate increases up to the low teens in some areas of the Northeast.
Chubb had been seeking mid-single-digit rate increases in Homeowners insurance in the Northeast prior to the storm.

About 90 percent of Sandy claims came from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, he says. About 53 percent of the losses were from Chubb’s commercial segment. The balance was from its personal lines segment.

Sandy took its toll on Chubb’s 2012 fourth-quarter net income—dropping it more than 77 percent to $102 million, compared to net income of $452 million during the same period a year ago.
Net income for the year was $1.5 billion compared to $1.7 billion in 2011.

The storm sky-rocketed the company’s fourth-quarter combined ratio, which was 131.3 for homeowners and 118.7 for commercial. Overall the fourth-quarter combined ratio for Chubb was an unprofitable 111.2 compared to 89.9 in 2011.

However, looking beyond the impact of catastrophes was much more promising for Chubb. CEO John D. Finnegan say the fourth quarter combined ratio excluding catastrophes was 81.5—an 8-point improvement over the same time in 2011.

During the conference call, Finnegan says Chubb was able to turn a profit in the quarter despite the huge hit from Sandy “through the pursuit of renewal rate increases, writing new business only when we believe we are securing adequate rates, and continually refining our risk selection to improve profitability of our book of business.”

Renewal rate increases were seen in each of Chubb’s business units. Rates were up 9 percent for Professional Liability, 8 percent for Commercial and 6 percent for Personal lines, Finnegan reports.
Paul J. Krump, president of commercial and specialty lines, says Chubb received rate increases on 90 percent of its renewal book in the segment, compared to 70 percent a year ago.

Pure Michigan Ad Promoting Business In Michigan Anger's Some

By now it’s no secret that many people are riled up about an advertisement in the Wall Street Journal that tied the Pure Michigan logo to a message about the controversial right to work law.

The move angered some Pure Michigan fans who said it wrongly politicized what has been a very popular tourism campaign. And marketing experts questioned whether the move hurt Pure Michigan’s brand image.

But there are others who are sticking up for the move, pointing out that Pure Michigan has been used to promote economic development in the state, and right to work is just another business attraction tool.

Michigan Economic Development Corp. President and CEO Michael Finney posted a blog about the issue on Friday. He discusses the background behind using the Pure Michigan brand for economic development marketing, and provides this explanation:

The campaign is being paid for with Michigan Economic Development Corporation corporate funds. No general fund tax dollars appropriated to the Michigan Strategic Fund are being used for the campaign.

Our state policymakers enacted Freedom-to-Work legislation, and it’s our job as the state’s economic development organization to do all we can to communicate with site selection professionals about every single factor in doing business here, including Freedom to Work. As our newest tool, it is the logical launching pad for a larger business attraction campaign.

We are listening to the feedback we are receiving and will continue to roll out the campaign in a way we think is most effective in reaching our target audiences. Please share any additional feedback in the comments section below or on the Michigan Economic Development Corporation Facebook page at www.facebook.com/miadvantage.

Many people have sounded off on Twitter, and Facebook  in the past few days. Here’s what some of them are saying:

Shannon Nobles of Lansing wrote on Pure Michigan’s Facebook page:

You have lost a fan, Pure Michigan. And a "like". Shame on your for bringing politics (and especially such terrible and divisive politics!) into what WAS such a lovely campaign. SeriouslyJohn Rupp Sr. of West Bloomfield Township also was among the fans that left angry comments on Facebook:

Is nothing sacred? I have lived in Michigan for 78 years and was proud of our "Pure Michigan" as the best tourism slogan ever. If you want to politize something, get your own slogan and leave ours alone.

The Pure Michigan Facebook page had more than 473,000 fans as of Friday afternoon. That figure was at more than 420,000 as of Wednesday afternoon, according to The Detroit Free Press.

More than 450 people attend Getman Corp. job fair, some arrive hours early and wait in line

 KALAMAZOO, MI – Getman Corp., looking to fill 150 new positions for its new facility in Comstock Township, should have plenty of qualified applicants to choose from after Saturday.

More than 450 people attended a job fair for the company at the Michigan Works Kalamazoo office on Burdick Street. People started showing up a little after 7 a.m., even though the job fair didn't start until 9 a.m.

Ben Damerow, director of Michigan Works in Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties, said Getman offers competitive wages and opportunities for advancement for skilled trades workers.

Damerow said the manufacturing industry is making a strong comeback, even though some people don't realize it yet. He said a lot of companies are looking to fill new manufacturing positions.

"It takes a little bit of time for perception to catch up with reality," he said.

Getman Corp., based in Bangor, announced plans in December to invest $5.