Resources for Mining Article 2017 Issue 1

Links About Mining Projects

Back Forty Project:

• Front 40 website
• Mining Action Group/Formerly Save the Wild UP website
• Michigan Mines Permits on the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality website

NorthMet Project, Polymet:

• WaterLegacy
• Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Mining General:

• Nationwide Identification of Hardrock Mining Sites, US EPA, Office of Inspector General March 2004

This report evaluates the clean-up costs of hardrock mining in the US and the burden on the Superfund program.

Copperwood Mine:

• MLive News Article on Mess from Drilling

The table below highlights mines that are currently in the permitting or exploratory process, as of April 11, 2017.

Name, Owner, Location	Size	Wetlands Impacted	Type of Mine	Status
Back Forty, Aquila, Stephenson, Michigan	Approx 1,000 acres owned and leased (check before we publish) Pit size	Not yet known	Open-pit gold, nickel, copper,	Permits received for mining and air.  Pending wastewater discharge  (NPDES) and wetlands.
NorthMet Project, Poly Met Company, Babbit, Minnesota	6,650 acres	913 acres of wetland permanently removed	Open-pit gold, nickel	Permits applied for include: mining, water appropriations, and dam safety.  Have not yet submitted wetlands permit.
Copperwood Project, Highland Copper/Lougueul, Porcupine Mountain State Park, Gogebic, Ontonagon and Keweenaw Counties, Michigan	21 exploration holes, of which 12 are in a 1-square mile area located in the state park.	Not yet known	Copper	Exploratory permits granted, possibly including road construction.

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