After more than a century of Iron mining Lake Superior’s Minnesota and Michigan Iron Range communities, new proposals are afoot to mine Copper, Nickel, Zinc, Platinum and Palladium. Near Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota Polymet Mining has proposed to extract 800 million tons of ore from a site near the town’s older taconite mines. Impacts to local lakes, streams and Wetlands, though anticipated, have not yet been identified.
Upstream from Lake Superior in the Salmon Trout watershed northwest of Marquette, Michigan, Kennecott Copper has proposed a copper, nickel, zinc mine. Government officials at all levels—from federal to local, including congressman Stupak and governor Granholm—have voiced reservations and outright opposition to the project. Local residents and officials continue to meet with Kennecott in an effort to ensure the area’s high quality waters will be protected.