This reporting is made possible through a partnership between IPR and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
The Canadian company Highland Copper is proposing an underground copper mine in the Upper Peninsula's Gogebic County, near the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park and Lake Superior.
The company has nearly all the necessary permits, but people can still weigh in on the air permit from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. The public comment period is open until Nov. 13, and the state is holding a virtual public hearing at 7 tonight (Wednesday, Oct. 30).
For more information and to attend the meeting, visit EGLE's website
The permit is meant to restrict the pollutants released during mining and ensure that the company is meeting federal and state air quality standards.
"One of the things are the National Ambient Air Quality Standards," said Andy Drury, EGLE's permit engineer for the application. "We have air toxics rules, and so the emissions from the proposed project have to meet our health-based screening levels,"
The Copperwood Mine is a controversial project. Some tribal leaders and environmental advocates oppose it; it could threaten treaty rights and the environment.
Others — including many local governments — see it as an important part of the region’s economic development and a source of copper necessary for renewable energy technologies like wind turbines and solar panels.
State officials said they didn’t have a timeline for a decision on the permit after the comment period ends.
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