I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. The Michigan Senate's blocking of the $50 million taxpayer-funded grant was surely a nice gift to us all!
 
Firstly, here you can find a video recap of our activities from the past year. We are very proud of the campaign's accomplishments and look forward to more progress in 2025. Thank you for being a part of this journey!
 
Next, some follow up-on the grant. We now have in writing a statement from the office of the Senate Appropriations Chair: "There was insufficient support for the legislative transfer in committee." In that same article, Highland Copper CEO Barry O'Shea performs some damage control: "From our perspective, it’s just a matter of time, stepping into the new year and continuing to educate the Senate." In another article, Mr. O'Shea claims that the awarding of the grant is not "do or die" after all, despite the text of the grant  directly contradicting him: "If the project is not supported, it will not move forward." So which is it, Mr. O'Shea? Either you are incorrect in your current assessment, or the grant text authored by Copperwood's proponents is deceitful — and that's something our legislators should know! Hmm...
 
Regardless of the full story, we will remain vigilant in 2025. We have defeated the grant not just once but twice, but we're anticipating that the forces behind it may be operating under the premise that "the third time's the charm." Fortunately, our movement is stronger than ever — our social media now has over 28,000 followers  and our petition has surpassed 370,000 signatures  — so we have never been better equipped to stand up to the challenge.
 
But even without Michigan's funding, it's important to remember that the Copperwood Mine may still advance through private capital. 
 
However, since the mining company has been promising that precious "Michigan endorsement" for nearly a year and has failed to deliver, those investors are growing antsy. In a November corporate presentation, investors ask about both the delays in the Air Pollution Permit approval and the Michigan grant. Even though Mr. O'Shea claims there is "no connection," in fact, the connection is us, and we will continue to challenge the project every step of the way. We also reached out to the company's investors last Friday to inform them of the grant's failure, and on Monday the company's stock dropped by 17.6%  — in keeping with the year's trend in which they've fallen nearly 50% from their summer highs.
 
In 2025, we plan to give investors more reasons to scramble!
 
The focus of our efforts will continue to be resistance to the development of the proposed Copperwood Mine. We will direct most of our energy and resources toward shifting the worn-out tune of "mining is our heritage" into something more harmonious with the natural world. We believe it is high time for an Upper Peninsula Liberation Front, in which knowledge about our past as a resource colony — a land to be exploited by outside corporations who make a fast buck at the cost of the economy and ecology — will help us reclaim the present and open the door to a better future.
 
We also have some things to say about the 30-year old prohibition on Dark Sky Preserves in the Upper Peninsula. I mean... WTF?
 
If you'd like to express appreciation for our work or help fund our mission in the coming months, you may donate here. But the most important way to contribute is to stay engaged, spread word, and help us grow this movement — we're just getting started!
 
 
In solidarity,
Tom and the Protect The Porkies team
 
 
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