It says that the transportation of cyanide, before its use in ore processing, carries enormous risks. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has acknowledged that NMC is not responsible for accidents while extremely hazardous cyanide is transported to the proposed mine. Research has found that there are no industrial users of cyanide in northern Wisconsin. Wisconsin DNR has identified 111 sites contaminated with cyanide from old coal gassification plants, including the Summerfest grounds in Milwaukee. The EPA reported in 1994 that while using the froth flotation process, Asarco's Black Cloud Mine in Colorado consistently exceeded discharge limits for cyanide that was shown to be toxic to aquatic wildlife.
Research shows that mining causes environmental damage regardless of the ore process used.
More than half of the toxic releases involving cyanide at gold mines in Montana between 1982 and 1998 involved the same technologies and methods proposed for the Crandon mine. The Campaign has placed special emphasis on the fact that mining in Wisconsin is given special treatment by state and federal laws that all other state industry must comply with. Mining here is not subject to federal hazardous waste laws, allowing mining to simply landfill wastes even if cyanide is present. Mining in Wisconsin is also subject to less restrictive groundwater and wetlands standards. Nicolet Minerals' Crandon proposal would use 10 times the amount of cyanide as used by any other state company.