MARQUETTE, MI-- DNR Director Keith Creagh could announce Thursday whether or not he’s approved a limestone mine in northern Mackinac County.
Graymont wants to obtain more than 2,600 acres in purchases and swaps. It also wants more than 7,000 acres of state-owned mineral rights.
Environmental agencies, tribal officials, and some residents sent Creagh a letter of opposition to the mine. They say it will sacrifice public land for the benefit of a foreign mining company.
Michigan State Forester Bill O’Neill says he understands those concerns, but also sees the economic side of the equation.
“Mothers and fathers and schoolteachers and superintendents stand up and say, ‘You know, the biggest export we have in the U.P. are our children, and it would be nice to be able to offer them a professional, wage-earning job that they could raise a family here,’” he says.
O’Neill says if approved, the mine could last a hundred years.
Creagh could announce his decision at a meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission.
