MARQUETTE, MI-- Not everyone is happy Marquette County was chosen as a vertical launch site by the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association.
State Representative Sara Cambensy says MAMA’s announcement was a surprise, especially when she learned the site wouldn’t be at the former KI Sawyer Air Force base. The selected location is in a pristine wooded area about 15 miles north of Marquette.
“People are concerned that we’re either going to clear-cut a site for it and it’s going to be an eyesore, or that there are going to be some environmental harms that we’ll see, either to the land or the water,” Cambensy says.
The Marquette Democrat says the permitting process will decide many of the project’s details.
“Where we have to start is local zoning and bringing Marquette Township into the fold, certainly Powell Township, and what is allowed in these areas and what isn’t. And if the zoning changes to allow a project like this, what does that mean for residents that may live in the area?”
Cambensy wants to make sure residents are included in the permitting process, which could take up to five years.
The project, which would launch commercial payloads into low Earth orbit, is expected to create thousands of jobs. Cambensy acknowledges the spaceport could be an economic driver for the area.
“It’s exciting to me just the offshoot that this could bring, even for small businesses in the area and people who grew up here who want to come back and make a living,” she says.
The Marquette County project and Oscoda horizontal launch site are expected to create thousands of jobs.
