To Residents and Property Owners of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties:
Every year, a percentage of our hard-earned income goes to the State of Michigan. We also pay property tax, sales tax, and a variety of other taxes. Most of us are happy to do so, because we trust that the State will use the funds for projects that are in our best interest. But now, as we speak, the Michigan Senate is considering awarding 50 million of our tax dollars to a foreign company to mine next to and underneath our most beloved State Park, ship our copper out of country, board up shop in 10.7 years, and leave behind 30+ million tons of mine waste, right next to the North Country Trail and in unprecedented proximity to Lake Superior.
The clock is ticking: this corporate welfare handout will reach a vote this December — or perhaps even earlier. There’s a good chance we can stop it — recall that we already delayed it once, back in June — but to do so, we must push back against the narrative that there is “universal community support” for the project.
As an important step, we request that all residents or property owners of Gogebic and Ontonagon Counties add your signatures to this Letter of Opposition, which will be delivered directly to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Two important things to note notes:
- Signing the letter does not require opposing the project in principle; it only requires opposing the use of taxpayer dollars to fund it — should not taxpayer dollars be reserved for less divisive and controversial projects?
- The final letter will be delivered directly to decision-makers in the Senate and names will not be shared publicly — your privacy is of utmost importance!
A metallic sulfide mine at the juncture of the North Country Trail, the Porcupine Mountains, and Lake Superior... folks, this Canadian company has never owned or operated a mine, and yet we are being asked not only to trust them to do a good job in such a sensitive area, but even more, we are being asked to pay them from our own pockets! Is this really something we are okay with?
Well, not me, and I hope you neither, so here’s that link again!
Once you’ve signed it, please share with friends and family and do your best to convince them why it’s in all of our best interests to protect this majestic area.
Just to stress the significance of this moment: the grant text states that, "if the project is not supported, it will not advance." On the other hand, even more concerning than the fifty million bucks is the prospect that the company tout it as an "official Michigan endorsement" (a phrase already used by the CEO), thus triggering a wave of fresh investment and potentially the capital to start the mine after fifteen years of failed fundraising. So we find ourselves at an exciting crossroads and we need all hands on deck!
Thanks for your time.
In solidarity,
Tom Grotewohl
Wakefield Township