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PETITION TEXT

The proposed Copperwood Mine is a Canadian company's plan to mine next to and underneath the most beautiful section of Porcupine Mountains State Park, ship the copper out of country with no promise of return, board up shop in 10.7 years, and leave behind over 30 million tons of mine waste in the closest metallic sulfide waste facility to Lake Superior in history.

Although billed as a "copper mine," in fact copper comprises only 1.45% of extracted material; the remaining 98.55% would be waste, containing mercury, arsenic, and other toxins, to be stored on-site in a 323-acre waste facility erected on topography sloping directly into Lake Superior, 10% of the world's surface freshwater.

Tailings disposal facilities are not invincible. In fact, serious tailings dam failures are actually increasing in frequency, and a dam rupture model by the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission shows that mine waste many meters in depth could surge into Lake Superior in as fast as 21 minutes, as well as into the State Park and the Presque Isle River. In this already alarming context, the Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) has concluded that Michigan’s Dam Safety Program is “extremely understaffed to perform the mission of dam safety as mandated by legislation, rules, and best practice” (page 6). 

Even assuming the dam holds, all copper sulfide mines contaminate water through other means. Such an operation in a water-rich environment in unprecedented proximity to the largest freshwater lake on Earth is not in keeping with Michigan's express goal of conserving 30% of land and water by 2030.

The proposed mine would be directly adjacent to both the North Country Trail — longest of all national hiking trails — and the Porcupine Mountains, largest mixed old growth forest in the Midwest, recently ranked as "most beautiful State Park in the country." An operating mine risks imposing noise pollution, light pollution, air and water pollution, subterranean blasting, and non-stop industrial traffic, all in the buffer zone of mainland Michigan's largest designated Wilderness Area. Outdoor recreation contributes over $12 billion to Michigan's economy annually; mining, just $1 billion — why allow the smaller boom-and-bust industry to endanger one that is strong, sustained, and does not jeopardize freshwater?

The only justification for such a disruptive operation next door to a freshwater sea, a sensitive old growth ecosystem, and a beloved eco-tourism zone can be summarized in a single word: "jobs." But the most comprehensive study ever conducted on the impact of mining on nonmetropolitan economies shows that mining led to positive outcomes in only 29% of cases, with most of those coming from before 1982. In areas dependent on outdoor recreation the impacts are especially pronounced; Harvard Professor James Stock, former advisor to President Obama, summarizes his research: "In 89% of cases, copper mining is negative for iobs and negative for incomes."

Five years ago the company projected 250 direct mining jobs, but now (and quite conveniently just before requesting a $50 million grant from the State of Michigan...) their new tally is 380. Which number is to be trusted? Perhaps neither: Eagle Mine in Marquette County employs fewer than 100 individuals. And the text of the proposed Michigan grant states that a "new job" would be defined as "lasting for at least six months," with many going to "specialized non-residents." No quantity of jobs is sufficient to justify such a disruptive and potentially contaminating project, least of all a couple hundred boom-and-bust positions which would last, at most, 10.7 years.

Copper is not even a critical mineral; it is infinitely recyclable; and, again, the copper in question would be shipped to Canada (page 19-3). A cost-benefit analysis must conclude that the harms vastly outweigh the gains. The signers of this petition advocate for the immediate halting of the project's development and the permanent protection of the lands in question.

Signed,
WE THE PEOPLE


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