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Copperwood Mine foes sue to block $50M grant for project near Lake Superior

The lawsuit says the appointed board approved the grant without enough oversight and ignored environmental and tribal concerns.

  • On Monday, grassroots group Protect the Porkies filed a lawsuit in Ingham County Circuit Court challenging a $50 million state grant awarded to Highland Copper for the proposed Copperwood Mine in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula.
  • Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's appointed Michigan Strategic Fund board approved the $50 million incentives 7-2 on August 25, bypassing legislative committees by drawing from 2022 Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve funds originally designated for a different project.
  • Highland Copper CEO Barry O'Shea called the grant "foundational" for the $425 million investment and 380 jobs, while opponents like the Sokoagan Chippewa Community argue the board disenfranchised local voices and ignored 2024 conditions.
  • Anahkwet "Guy" Reiter of the Menominee Nation stated using tribal-casino revenue to support a mine facing "substantial tribal opposition" is impossible to ignore. The Attorney General's office has been asked to review the funding.
  • Critics emphasize the mine's proximity to Lake Superior and the North Country Trail, while additional litigation is expected following a claim of appeal filed September 14.
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Copperwood Mine foes sue to block $50M grant for project near Lake Superior

Opponents are going to court in hopes of blocking a controversial $50 million grant Michigan awarded in August to fund construction of a Canadian company’s copper mine in the western Upper Peninsula.

·New York, United States
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The Detroit News broke the news in Detroit, United States on Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
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