Dozens of people voiced their opposition to funding for an Upper Peninsula copper mine during a meeting of the Michigan Strategic Fund board on Tuesday.
The board is part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, a public-private partnership focused on growth and investment in the state.
The board is currently considering a $50 million grant for Copperwood, a proposed mining project in the western U.P. The mine would extract copper from a deposit adjacent to Lake Superior and Porcupine Mountains State Park.
Critics say they have a number of concerns, including environmental risks and threats to tourism.
Tom Grotewohl is a resident of Wakefield Township near the site of the mine and founder of Protect the Porkies.
“Mining infrastructure would … be a literal stone’s throw from the North Country Trail,” said Grotewohl. “Copperwood’s 323-acre waste containment facility would be erected in a water-rich environment on topography sloping towards Lake Superior.”
Some opponents spoke about the sudden 2019 collapse of an iron-ore tailings dam in Brazil. The rupture killed nearly 300 people and caused widespread environmental damage.
“We kindly ask that you do not subsidize a foreign company’s boom and bust operation, which would drag the western U.P. back to the front lines of extraction,” Grotewohl said, citing concerns about noise pollution, light pollution and industrial traffic “all in the heart of a beloved outdoor recreation area.”
Copperwood is a project of Canadian company Highland Copper. The company is also seeking to reopen nearby White Pine North, a former copper mine in the western U.P. which closed in the 1990s.
Highland Copper says the Copperwood site would provide over 300 jobs. Proponents argue the project would bring much-needed investment and development to a struggling rural economy.
Several local governments have passed resolutions of support, including Wakefield Township and Charter Township of Ironwood, where the project site is located.
The $50 million grant would come from the state’s Strategic Site Readiness Program, which awards money to projects that “act as a catalyst for revitalization of the community where [they are] located.”
Quentin Messer Jr. is head of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
“The passion is not surprising at all, given how much all of us value what makes Michigan special, which is this unique mixture of tremendous commerce and economy as well as scenic beauty,” Messer said.
He added that the Copperwood grant was not on the agenda at the Michigan Strategic Fund February board meeting, when several voiced opposition. He said the board also heard lots of support for the project when it was an agenda item in a January meeting.
“We will continue to think through and weigh a complex set of factors involving everything from the economic viability of the project, [to] what is its impact on the overall community?” Messer said.
“I also think – which is something that sometimes gets lost in these conversations – what’s the cost of inaction?” he said. “What happens to a community if you just decide not to invest?”
He says there is no set deadline for a decision on the grant.
Proponents of the project also point to a projected increase in demand for copper, a critical component in much renewable energy infrastructure.
But opponents at Tuesday’s meeting spoke about the expected 11-year life of the mine and the possibility of pollution from the proposed mine waste storage.
John Coleman is with the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, an agency of 11 Ojibwe tribes in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. He says the commission has been wary of the project for over a decade.
“We have serious concerns about pollutant escape to Lake Superior, particularly during closure,” Coleman said. “We have concerns about the tailings basin, the long term stability, and have asked [the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy] to include the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission in review of the final design.”
Highland Copper says they are prepared to minimize and mitigate pollution and have secured nearly all required permits from Michigan’s environmental regulatory agency.
The $50 million grant request on behalf of Highland Copper stated the money was imperative, saying, “If the project is not supported, it will not move forward.”
Geri Hawley, an Ontonagon resident, also spoke against the grant funding at Tuesday’s meeting.
“If you really want to help this area economically, give money to the small businesses who have really been devastated by the lack of snow this year and rely on tourist dollars,” Hawley said. “Give money to Ontonagon to help secure our hospital. Four days ago, we were told that [our hospital] is closing.”
She said doesn’t believe the Copperwood mine is the right fix to the region’s economic struggles.
“We don’t live here to make our millions,” Hawley said. “We live here because of the pristine beauty. We live right on the shores of Lake Superior.”
