$50M grant for copper mine project in Upper Peninsula in limbo after lawmaker no-vote
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A proposed copper mine in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan would produce millions of pounds of copper a year
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Environmental activists argue the project would threaten the surrounding wilderness at the Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior
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On Wednesday, a senate committee declined to vote on $50 million in grant funding for the project – leaving the money in limbo
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A proposed copper mine in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan would produce millions of pounds of copper a year
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Environmental activists argue the project would threaten the surrounding wilderness at the Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior
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On Wednesday, a senate committee declined to vote on $50 million in grant funding for the project – leaving the money in limbo
(FOX 2):A Senate committee this week refused to authorize millions of dollars in grant funding for a large mining project in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, leaving the project in limbo.
Over $240 million in funding for Detroit Diesel, the University of Michigan, and Down Chemical were authorized by the appropriations committee.
However, the $50 million that would have been allocated to a proposed copper mine close to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in the western United States was not included in the approvals.
A week after the Michigan House Appropriations Committee approved the financing, campaigners who were worried about the mining project’s potential environmental effects on Lake Superior and the nearby wilderness criticized the decision.
According to Highland Copper, the business behind the proposal, the 505-acre Copperwood project would generate $425 million in investment, 380 permanent jobs, 300 construction jobs, and serve as a source of economic revitalization for the isolated region of the state.
The proposed project coincides with an industry-wide shift toward electric vehicles, which need specific minerals to produce the batteries that drive the next generation of cars, and a renewed demand for precious metals.
The mine would have to adhere to “some of the strictest” restrictions in the nation, according to a fact sheet published by an economic development organization supporting the proposal.
“The Copperwood project has been designed responsibly, in line with Michigan s stringent mining regulation which requires significant environmental controls and mitigations,” Barry O Shea, CEO of Highland Copper, said. “We believe Copperwood can bring a needed economic boost to the Western UP, support domestic supply of copper, and be respectful of the region s natural beauty.”
According to research cited by the advocacy group Protect the Porkies, which has opposed the mine, the proposed mine is unlikely to boost the economy.
view of Lake Superior from Summit Peak in Michigan’s Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park. (Image courtesy of Getty Images/Dukas/Universal Images Group))
The group’s founder, Tom Grotewohl, stated, “If mining brought wealth, then the Upper Peninsula should be the richest place on earth, along with Appalachia and maybe Zimbabwe.”
The group contends that the landscape would change as a result of the infrastructure improvements that would go along with the mine, even after the facility’s expected 10.7-year lifespan.
Apart from increasing license fees, the law also reduces the minimum age to obtain a fishing license to 16 years old and reduces the senior discount from 60% to 25%.
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