Overview:

-Chief among environmental advocates’ concerns is the location of the mine’s tailings basin, which would store mining waste on sloping topography leading into Lake Superior.
-In a statement, Highland Copper called the mine a “once-in-a-generation project."
-The House GOP budget allocates $50 million to Wakefield Township in Gogebic County, where Highland Copper plans to develop the mine, for infrastructure improvements.

By KYLE DAVIDSON
Michigan Advance

Following the passage of the Michigan House of Representatives’ budget proposal for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, opponents of a controversial mining project are slamming the plan for a $50 million allocation aimed at preparing local communities for the project. 

Put forth in a request from Rep. Greg Markkanen (R-Hancock), the Republican budget allocates $50 million to Wakefield Township in Gogebic County to invest into road upgrades, fortification of the electrical grid and improvements to telecommunication services across the region. 

“Site readiness, or lack thereof, is commonly cited as a factor in investment decisions by businesses and venture funds considering Michigan-based opportunities,” Markkanen said in his request for legislative spending in May. 

He noted that “an opportunity before the Township offers a generational opportunity to create hundreds of good-paying jobs to support local families and bolster the national supply chain and defense capabilities,” a reference to Highland Copper’s Copperwood Mine, but noted site investment is needed to encourage investment in the area.

While the state’s Strategic Fund Board approved $50 million for the mining project last year, the funding was held up in the Michigan Senate, when the Appropriations Committee adjourned for the year without voting on the funding. 

While some state and community officials have welcomed the project, the mine has received pushback from multiple environmental groups who are raising concerns about the underground mine and its proximity to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, the North Country Trail, and Lake Superior. 

Leading the charge is Protect the Porkies, a grassroots group led by Tom Grotewohl, a resident of Wakefield Township. 

In a statement released Thursday, Grotewohl denounced the inclusion of funding for the mine within the House Republican’s budget proposal. 

“Make no mistake, this funding request is identical in purpose to the $50 million Michigan Strategic Fund-approved SOAR grant twice halted last year due to pushback from around the state and nation,” Grotehwol said. “Considering Speaker Matt Hall’s [(R-Richland Township)] commitment to transparency, it’s surprising that he and his colleagues would include a corporate welfare handout thinly veiled as a community infrastructure grant to Wakefield Township.”

Earlier this summer, Highland Copper, the Canadian company developing the mine, pointed to Wakefield Township’s request for legislative funding as an alternative route in receiving infrastructure funding for the project.

“If one path is successful, the other will no longer be required,” the company said in a July 2 news release.

However, Jane Fitkin, director of Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior, argued that if the project is to move forward, Highland Copper should be the one footing the bill – not Michigan taxpayers. 

Chief among environmental advocates’ concerns is the location of the mine’s tailings basin, which would store mining waste on sloping topography leading into Lake Superior. Should the dam collapse, several toxins including arsenic, cadmium, selenium, lead and mercury would be released into the waterway. 

This contamination would infringe on the treaty rights of several Native American tribes to hunt, fish and gather within the territory ceded in the 1842 Treaty of La Pointe.

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In a statement, Highland Copper called the mine a “once-in-a-generation project,” saying the grant would be used to fund infrastructure that’s needed to bring to life projects like the Copperwood Mine and more.

Wakefield Township Supervisor Mandy Lake applauded the Legislature for “prioritizing the Western Upper Peninsula and demonstrating its commitment to giving our community a future.” 

“The infrastructure funded through this grant will have a tremendous positive impact on our whole region, and while it will support a great opportunity like Copperwood, it will also support our logging industry, and better our position to attract more business opportunities as well,” Lake told the Advance in an email. 

Marty Fittante, CEO of Invest UP, a regional economic organization based in the Upper Peninsula, similarly cheered the inclusion of funding within the House’s budget proposal, comparing the effort to the Eagle Mine in  Marquette County – which has drawn similar concerns from the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community alongside environmental advocates. 

According to its website, the mine employs roughly 400 people with a 75% local hire commitment. 

“We know firsthand from the success of Eagle Mine and its regulation under Michigan’s stringent mining standards, environmental stewardship and economic opportunity can be complementary to one another,” Fittante said.

“This infrastructure funding will pave the way not just for the Copperwood Mine, a project that will create good paying jobs in a community that desperately needs them, but will also support the forest products industry which is also a critical opportunity for the region.”

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