To the Journal editor:

All Michiganders should be aware of an extremely critical issue that will affect not only the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan but will also leave the totality of Michigan at an incredible loss.

There appears to be limited media coverage on one of the most important issues of protecting our Upper Peninsula’s most important natural and cultural resources.

The quasi-governmental organization Michigan Strategic Fund, which is a subsidiary of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation the body that ironically promotes the Pure Michigan campaign) has gifted a Canadian corporation a $50 million grant funded by Michigan taxpayers to move forward on an ill-fated venture called the Copperwood Project to put a sulfide copper mine right at the edge of two of the most precious natural resources that the state of Michigan can lay claim to, namely Lake Superior itself and our prized Porcupine Mountain State Park- which, in fact, was named the greatest state park in the country.

There is nothing here to be gained by the citizens of Michigan but to end up with some short-term local jobs in an economy that has been depressed by mining itself, in exchange for a legacy of thousands of years of pollution and destruction of one our last pristine and unmolested areas of this great state.

No one visits the Porkies wilderness area to see toxic waste rock piles. The real insanity is they claim that this will help build a “green” economy. Yes, apparently our brilliant ruling class tells us we must destroy our environment in order to save it.

As proud Michiganders, let’s stop mining our souls and realize that we are gifted with the greatest things that Michigan offers. That is our strength. That is why people visit the Upper Peninsula. It is our natural rugged beauty that brings people from all over the world here. That is our real economy and protecting it now will pay dividends in perpetuity.

More at: https://protecttheporkies.com/