Public pressure and grassroots efforts block a $50 million state-funded grant for a controversial Upper Peninsula copper mine

Photo: Lake Superior. Credit: Michigannut

A grassroots movement has successfully derailed a $50 million grant proposal for the controversial Copperwood mining project in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A coalition of environmental groups, local residents, and concerned citizens rallied against state funding for the mine, which would operate less than two miles from Lake Superior and partially extend beneath the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park.

Copperwood Resources, Inc., a U.S.-based subsidiary of the Canadian company Highland Copper, sought the grant from Michigan’s Strategic Site Readiness Program (SSRP), managed by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The grant would have funded infrastructure, such as roads, utilities, and water systems, in preparation for the mine’s construction. While the Michigan House approved the funding last summer, the grant’s final approval stalled in the Senate after public pressure mounted.

The Mine’s Economic Pitch

Copperwood advocates argue the project would bring significant economic benefits to the region. According to Copperwood’s feasibility study, the mine is projected to deliver an after-tax Net Present Value (NPV) of $167.6 million while creating 380 direct jobs over its 11-year operational life. The mine would use a room-and-pillar underground mining method, designed to minimize surface disruption, while investments in water treatment systems and a lined Tailings Disposal Facility (TDF) aimed to address environmental concerns.

The project is part of a broader effort to meet clean energy demands, as copper is essential for renewable technologies like wind turbines and electric vehicles.

Environmental and Cultural Concerns

However, opponents raised deep concerns about the mine’s environmental impact, particularly the storage of mine tailings — the toxic waste left after copper extraction. With the ore containing less than 1.5% copper, over 98% of mined material would remain as waste, stored in a lined dump covering 320 acres uphill from Lake Superior.

Critics highlighted key risks:

• Toxic Leaching: Tailings can release heavy metals like arsenic and lead into waterways if containment systems fail.
• Acid Mine Drainage (AMD): Exposure to air and water can generate sulfuric acid, contaminating soil and water for decades.
• Dust Emissions: Dry tailings may spread toxic particles, harming nearby communities and wildlife.
• Structural Failures: Seismic events or design flaws could cause catastrophic waste spills.

The mine’s location on land ceded to the United States under the 1842 Treaty of La Pointe added another layer of opposition. Local Ojibwe nations emphasized that contamination could threaten their treaty-protected rights to hunt, fish, and gather on ancestral lands.

The Grassroots Victory

The turning point came on December 19, 2024, when the final Senate Appropriations Committee meeting to approve the grant was canceled. In a video update, Chris Vaughn, a Wakefield area resident and prominent voice of the grassroots movement ProtectThePorkies.com, declared the decision a clear victory:

“Today’s Senate Appropriations meeting, the last chance to approve the grant to the proposed Copperwood mine this year, has been canceled. I think that’s a pretty clear indication that the legislators do not plan on passing this handout to the Copperwood mine… This victory is not just for us; it is for all of the incredible life forms that call the Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior, and the surrounding areas, their home.”

Vaughn credited the success to collective action: “Whether you wrote a letter to the senators, whether you called a senator, whether you wrote a blog post or shared a link…really it is you. It is everybody who takes time out of their day to speak up for places that don’t have a voice in this process.”

The campaign saw broad support from organizations including the Upper Peninsula Environmental Coalition, Michigan Environmental Council, Sierra Club chapters, and the Indigenous Environmental Network. Their efforts mobilized tens of thousands of people who voiced concerns over the project’s environmental and cultural impacts.

What’s Next?

While the grant denial marks a significant win for opponents, Vaughn urged continued vigilance, noting that Copperwood could still pursue private funding to advance the project:

“Even without Michigan’s funding, the mine can advance through the forces of the free market…but we will be here, remaining vigilant. We will be here with tens of thousands of people engaged.”