ROSCOMMON, MI (AP)-- The director of Michigan's Department of Natural Resources has agreed to sell land to a company that hopes to develop a limestone mining operation in Northern Mackinac County, near Rexton.
Graymont Inc. wants to obtain 2,614 acres through purchases or swaps. It also is seeking to buy 7,026 acres of state-owned mineral rights.
Department Director Keith Creagh announced the decision Thursday night after a meeting of the Michigan Natural Resources Commission in Roscommon.
Environmentalists, tribal governments and some neighbors oppose the deal, saying the mine would damage the natural surroundings.
Supporters say it would boost the economy and create jobs.
Creagh says in a statement that the project "balances the public interest in natural resources and economic development in the Upper Peninsula."
