We are just the messenger.

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Neither EGLE nor the mining company have sufficiently communicated what steps, if any, are being taken to ensure that the streamnns of contaminated wastewater per day into Namebinag Creek and on into Lake Superior. Significantly, populations of a Michigan endangered fish, the redside dace, exist both upstream and downstream from the discharge site.

Their wastewater would contain toxins such as selenium, cadmium, mercury, and more, along with demineralized reverse osmosis fluids and other unnatural constituents. According to environmental scientist Bill Dam, the total dissolved solids in the discharge would be much greater than what is currently in the stream, weighing up to 768,000 pounds per year. That’s the equivalent weight of 153 Ford F-150 trucks crashing and dissolving into the creek, every single year, for 10+ years.

And they expect us to believe this won't harm a fish so sensitive it's endangered, along with other lifeforms in Namebinag Creek and Lake Superior?

You don't need to be an expert to submit a comment! Specialists will already be providing technical points, so what we need from regular folks is passion. 

Why are Michigan’s regulators bending over backwards to appease a widely opposed, unfunded, inexperienced Canadian mining company? Last year they approved their permit to install a mine exhaust vent 150 feet from the State Park. In the years before, they allowed the company to annihilate multiple creeks and 60+ acres of wetlands, along with the resident lifeforms, all for the sake of a speculative project that lacks $400+ million and may never advance. Now they want to give them a permit to pollute the habitat of an endangered fish? 

Let the regulators know that they’re on their last straw, and whatever remains of their reputation depends on proving to us that they are not corporate servants, but public servants. We don’t want them just to read it— we need them to feel it.

• Submit Written Comments: before July 17th at 7am CT

For those wishing to take a deep dive:

• 30 minute presentation from Tom from Protect the Porkies
• All permit documents
• Baseline Fisheries, Macroinvertebrate and Physical Habitat Studies for the Copperwood Project
• Status of the Redside Dace
• World Health Organization report on demineralized water

Before July 17th, submit a written public comment:

• by using this form
• by sending an email to PionkR@michigan.gov

1. Ask them to DENY THE PERMIT
2. Request that they CONDUCT A NEW SURVEY of the endangered redside dace in the area
3. Demand that FEASIBLE ALTERNATIVES be considered, such as Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD), which would result in no contamination of the creek
4. Put some passion in your message!

Feel free to copy/paste this message or use it as inspiration for your own:

___________

I’m writing to urge you to deny the wastewater discharge permit to Highland Copper, as it threatens a legally protected fish, the redside dace, and violates the Anti-Degradation Rule.

The applicant did not include an Anti-Degradation Statement, even though it is required by law for an increased discharge request. The current application includes a doubling of discharge at Outfall 002 and increased duration of discharge when compared to previous permit cycles.

Lake Superior is categorized as Tier 3 Outstanding State Resource Waters, which are protected by the Anti-Degradation Rule. Over a billion gallons of contaminated wastewater would flow into Lake Superior over the 10-year life of the mine, with total dissolved solids the equivalent to over 1,500 Ford F-150 trucks.

The wastewater would also flow directly into the habitat of a legally-protected state-endangered fish, the redside dace. The fact that EGLE originally claimed there were no redside dace downstream from the discharge and are only now correcting the statement does not inspire confidence and suggests that the permit should be denied until the basic facts are in order.

EGLE conducts toxicity tests on two sample organisms. But given the immense diversity among lifeforms, there is no reason to assume that the redside dace will respond to toxic levels the same as these others. In fact, given the fish’s endangered status, it is reasonable to assume that it is more sensitive than most.
 

Additionally, toxicity tests do not account for other ways the wastewater would degrade the habitat of the redside dace, which requires shallow waters and interconnected pools where ice is a dominant feature during winter. Drastically increasing the flow of the stream to the point that it is effluent dominated will alter qualities of water like volume, turbidity, and temperature, which will impact ice formation and other aspects of the redside dace’s environment. In Canada, discharge into redside dace habitat must not increase the total dissolved solids by more than 25 mg / liter compared to the background stream level, but the TDS in the permit is 2-3 times greater than the natural level.

None of this disruption and contamination is necessary, as feasible alternatives do exist. Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) would result in all wastewater being mechanically evaporated, with remaining toxic solids transported to a hazardous waste facility.

As part of their Anti-Degradation Demonstration, the applicant must prove that no feasible alternatives exist. But while ZLD may not have been a common technique when the original permit was granted, in the years since it has been implemented in mines and other operations around the country. Approving the permit without consideration of such alternatives would be a clear violation of the Anti-Degradation Rule.

As Michigan’s environmental regulatory agency, the protection of endangered species is a very basic duty. Please deny the permit.

More talking points below. The reader is also encouraged to study this analysis from environmental scientist Bill Dam.

1) Ask them to FOLLOW THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THEIR OWN BIOLOGIST.

EGLE has ignored the advice from their own biologist, who has recommended that the total permitted phosphorous release at the first discharge site be cut in half, and has also recommend that chloride and sulfate be measured and limited at the second discharge site (see "Biological Recommendations"). None of these recommendations have been included. So in your comment, request that, at a minimum, EGLE follow the advice of their own biologist with regards to phosphorous, sulfate, and chloride.

2) Ask them to REQUIRE THAT TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS) BE OF THE SAME VALUE AS THE STREAM'S NATURAL WATER.

 The permit allows for up to 830 milligrams of total dissolved solids per liter of the wastewater, which is 2-3 times higher than the current TDS levels of Namebinag Creek. Setting such a high TDS rate allows companies to mix in low-quality water after other filtration steps like reverse osmosis. At the Copperwood Mine site, the area’s briny groundwater would be a chronic problem, and the company could take advantage of this high TDS rate to discharge it into the stream. So ask EGLE to lower the TDS parameter to match that of the natural stream water.

3) Demand that the permit be denied UNTIL PLANS TO MITIGATE TOXIC ADDITIVES HAVE BEEN FINALIZED.

According to the file "NPDES Water Treatment Additives," four of the water treatment additives proposed for use are highly toxic to aquatic organisms and potentially dangerous to those working around them:

• n-dodecyl mercaptan
• methyl isobutyl carbinol
• sodium isobutyl xanthate
• sodium hydrosulfide

The Safety Data Sheets (SDS) for for these chemicals include warnings such as, "Harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects," “HAZARDOUS WASTE. DO NOT ALLOW PRODUCT TO ENTER THE ENVIRONMENT," and “Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects." The company has not outlined their plans nor does the permit put limits in place with regards to mitigating these toxins, with the footnote to the table stating, "Water treatment plant still in design process. Water treatment additives are projected on feasibility-level design and will be finalized upon completion of water treatment plant design.” Demand that EGLE deny the permit until detoxification plans for these deadly chemicals have been finalized.
 

4) Ask them to CLARIFY HOW CORROSIVE DEIONIZED WATER WILL BE MITIGATED.

The EGLE file entitled NPDES Permit — Draft for Public Notes specifically states of Copperwood’s wastewater:  "The permeate from reverse osmosis is demineralized and can have corrosive properties due to the absence of ions.”

But what is the mining company's plan to manage the permeate? Let the stream do the work: "This water will have over one mile of stream valley and beaver ponds to obtain sediment, dissolved minerals, and dissolved oxygen, before entering the main branch of Namebinag Creek where the Redside Dace have been found." (p19-20)

Where is the evidence that flooding millions of gallons of demineralized water into a stream will not effect it similarly to how it harms the human body: by stripping  minerals from sediment and potentially absorbing dangerous ones into the water? 

5) Ask them to perform an analysis of how the wastewater could impact both downstream AND upstream life, as well as the relations between them.

Contrary to claims from EGLE, that survey showed redside dace both upstream and downstream from where the wastewater reaches the creek (see the document page 30). We've already detailed potential impacts to life downstream from the discharge site, but what about upstream? 

Upstream as well as downstream communities are affected by the downstream health of the habitat. The adults of many aquatic insect species (including mayflies and stoneflies) maintain populations in the upstream reaches by migrating upstream as adults. Any reduction or loss of downstream insect populations will affect the amount of upstream insect biomass and the amount of food available for upstream dace populations. And yet neither EGLE nor the mining company have even mentioned this possibility.

6) Ask them to DENY THE PERMIT because the habitat of an endangered fish is just not an appropriate venue for millions of gallons of wastewater, PERIOD.

The biologist’s report makes the rather shocking point that during effluent release periods, the flow in Gipsy Creek will be “effluent-dominated" (meaning consisting primarily of non-natural water). This has to have a significant effect on water characteristics and quality for some distance downstream.

Regardless of the exact treatment steps or mineral content, Copperwood's wastewater would be of a very different quality than the natural stream to which the redside dace is accustomed. Millions of gallons of wastewater will have a diluting effect on the ecosystem, which may impact the redside dace immediately or gradually through a trophic cascade or butterfly effect— small changes at microscopic levels leading over time to large disruptions higher up the food chain.

In the end, the habitat of an endangered species is simply not the appropriate location for discharging wastewater, regardless of its exact properties.

Please share this action with others. Remember, we want to shatter the public comment record. Deadline: July 17th at 8 a.m.

On September 16th, 2025, the Export-Import Bank of the United States announced a Letter of Interest (LOI) to provide $250 million in debt financing for the advancement of the proposed Copperwood Mine. The EXIM Bank is the official export credit agency of the United States. 

The LOI is non-binding, meaning there is no commitment to follow through with the funding, but the final decision may ultimately be determined by what we do next.

$250 million would constitute a massive bailout for a failing junior company with only ~$20 million in the bank; it would provide a significant portion of the $450 million the project needs to get up and running; and it would catalyze an avalanche of fresh private investment. In other words, this could make or break the dangerous Copperwood Mine, adjacent to the Porcupine Mountains and Lake Superior.

So it's time to mobilize!

Send a hand written letter or postcard to the EXIM headquarters, urging them to "deny all funding to Highland Copper." This sentence alone is sufficient, though you are welcome to add more. More than your individual message, it is the totality of all our messages, sent from around the country and around the world, which is THE message.

In this modern screen-based era, a mass letter writing campaign has much more of a tangible "real" impact than simply sending emails. Our goal is to show EXIM that we are real people fighting for a real place. 

Consider personalizing your letter with drawings or photos!

Export-Import Bank of the United States
811 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20571

A single sentence is sufficient: "Please deny all funding to Highland Copper."

We will win by making friends, not enemies.

Please write your message from your own personal perspective depending on what feels right to you. 

Those interested might also consider including arguments to emphasize the RISK of the project, the IMMENSE SCOPE OF THE OPPOSITION, and its INCOMPATIBILITY WITH EXIM'S MISSION.

1) Antithetical to EXIM's Mission

The EXIM Bank state that its mission is "to support American job creation... by unlocking financing solutions for U.S. companies competing around the globe." But Highland Copper is not a U.S. company — they are an inexperienced Canadian company seeking to develop a highly opposed copper sulfide mine immediately adjacent to Michigan's most beloved State Park, with 40+ million tons of toxic mine waste to be stored in unprecedented proximity to Lake Superior. Furthermore, a wealth of research shows that mines are more likely to harm the economy in the mid- and long-term (1,2). To quote Harvard Economist James Stock, former presidential advisor: "In 89% of cases copper mining ends up being a negative for jobs and incomes."  The jobs at Copperwood would last for a maximum of 10.7 years, though many would be six-month contracts, with highest paid positions going to specialized non-residents. Over the mid- to long-term, this mine will leave the area poorer than it started.

2) The scope of opposition to this project is enormous. 

469,000 people — largely from the state of Michigan — have signed a petition opposing its development, and over 100 organizations signed a letter opposing state funding for the project, including the Michigan League of Women Voters, the Michigan Environmental Council, the Michigan Sierra Club, and the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, as well as five Tribal Nations.

3) Funding denied by Michigan legislature

The state of Michigan has THREE TIMES denied the use of $50 million to help the project advance — twice in 2024 (1,2) and again in 2025 — due to outreach from tens of thousands of constituents.

4) A risky investment

A report the Keweenaw Land Association — the company leasing the Copperwood mineral rights — states (page 13): "There are a number of factors weighing against near-term development of the Copperwood Project and as a result, the Copperwood Project could face significant delays and ultimately prove to be unprofitable or fail to yield the expected cash revenues."

Separately, an independent auditor's report states that there is significant doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern; that the project is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties; and that an investment in Highland involves significant risks and should be considered speculative.

5) No supply chain vulnerability for mined copper

Although refined copper has been named as a "critical mineral" by the U.S. Geological Survey, mined copper is still listed at a negative risk (page 37): thus, no undersupply of raw copper; thus, no need to accelerate the development of new mines, especially those opposed by multiple Tribal Nations, 100+ organizations, and hundreds of thousands from around the state and nation.

6) The copper in question would be shipped out of country — to Canada, Europe, or Asia (p 19-3) — where it would enter the international market with no  contracts in place ensuring the return of the copper to the United States.

*** You may supplement your message with more material from our home page.

Please share this action with others, from around the USA and beyond. Thank you!

On April 2nd, the White House officially named Highland Copper in a government press release.

This combined with other factors — copper price at an all time high, the White House establishing Project Vault, and more — suggests that a massive federal bailout for a failing, hotly opposed project could be just around the corner.

Reach out to national lawmakers and urge them to do everything in their power to ensure not a single copper penny goes to this dangerous project. The lawmakers listed below have been on critical mineral committees or in contact with the mining company CEO. 

Some are up for re-election — let them know their jobs are on the line.

We also encourage you, no matter your residence, to contact any other national legislators.

• Conduct some research on the Home Page
• Make a call / send an email to the contacts below
• Share this action with others

The more of us they hear from, the more seriously they will take our message.

• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (MI) contact form 202-224-4822
• Rep. Jack Bergman (MI) — up for re-election Bergman.constituent@mail.house.gov 202-225-4735 / 231-944-7633 (Traverse City district office) / 906-273-2227 (Gwinn district office)
• Rep. John Moolenaar (MI) — up for re-election contact form 202-225-3561 989-802-6040 (district office)
• Rep. Haley Stevens (MI) — re-election / running for U.S. senate 734-853-3040 / 202-225-8171
• Rep. Tom Tiffany (WI) — running for WI governor contact form 202-225-3365 / 715-298-9344
• Rep. Pete Stauber (MN) — up for re-election contact form 202-225-6211 218-481-6396

Hello,

I'm calling / writing to urge you to do everything in your power to ensure that no American taxpayer dollars go to the proposed Copperwood Mine. This dangerous project was recently named in U.S. Government fact sheet from April 2nd as an example of a company expanding domestic copper mining, but the release failed to mention:

• Highland Copper is a Canadian company
• They are not a mining company, having never owned or operated a mine
• They're seeking to build their first ever mine right next to Porcupine Mountains State Park, one of the most beloved outdoor recreation destinations in the nation
• Over 40 million tons of toxic mine waste, containing arsenic, mercury, cadmium and lead, would be stored in unprecedented proximity to Lake Superior, this continent's largest, cleanest source of surface freshwater
• The copper in question would be shipped to Canada for processing, with no promise of return

Again, I urge you to deny any potential federal funding, as well as to educate your colleagues on the risks of this project, which is so hotly opposed that its funding has been three times denied by the State of Michigan. 

Please share this action with others. Thank you!

Despite having been blocked three times due to massive pushback from around the state and nation, sources in Lansing tell us that Governor Gretchen Whitmer is once again seeking the approval of $50 million to fund the "preliminary infrastructure" needed for the proposed Copperwood Mine: power grid, cell towers, and heavy industrial roads, not only enabling a foreign-owned mine but also opening the floodgates to ongoing development in the form of data centers and more, all in the buffer zone of Michigan's most beloved old growth wilderness area.

The February 11th Supplemental Request document very explicitly includes an avenue for Copperwood to seek this funding: $50 million dollars from the Michigan Strategic Fund for "strategic site readiness" – details which are identical to the previous iterations of the proposed grant (see page 21).

Although we don't have official confirmation that the Copperwood funding is on the table, we can't wait for whispers to make the headlines before taking action. 

Our goal is to influence the conversation in Lansing as early as possible, so that as applications are received for this state funding, lawmakers will know exactly where we stand. 

For now we are focusing our outreach efforts on the seven lawmakers comprising the Senate Appropriations Labor and Economic Opportunity subcommittee. Most of these senators have stood with us in the past, and in an election year when their jobs are on the line, all they need is a push in the right direction.

Everyone is welcome to participate, no matter your place of residence. 

Non-residents: you may wish to emphasize that your tourist dollars and Michigan's reputation are on the line.

Simply contact the following lawmakers via phone and/or email and urge them to "deny all applications for strategic site readiness funding for infrastructure which will enable the Copperwood Mine."

***Please note: most of these senators have stood with us in the past, so it's in our best interest to maintain a positive relationship. Please be civil and professional in your messages, but firm: be clear this is not a matter you take lightly.

• Sen. Mary Cavanagh
  • SenMCavanagh@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-7748
• Sen. Sean McCann
  • SenSMcCann@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-5100
• Sen. Mallory McMorrow 
  • SenMMcMorrow@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-2523
• Sen. Darrin Camilleri 
  • SenDCamilleri@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-7918
• Sen. John Cherry 
  • SenJCherry@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-0142
• Sen. Mark Huizenga 
  • SenMHuizenga@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-0797
• Sen. Jon Bumstead 
  • SenJBumstead@senate.michigan.gov 
  • 517-373-1635

All email addresses for your copy/pasting convenience:

SenMCavanagh@senate.michigan.gov, SenSMcCann@senate.michigan.gov, SenMMcMorrow@senate.michigan.gov, SenDCamilleri@senate.michigan.gov, SenJCherry@senate.michigan.gov, SenMHuizenga@senate.michigan.gov, SenJBumstead@senate.michigan.gov

Here is a sample message which you may adapt to your liking:

"Hello,

My name is ____________ and I'm a resident of ___________. Since the senator is a member of the LEO subcommittee, I'm writing/calling today to urge them to deny any applications for 2027 strategic site readiness funding which will advance infrastructure to enable the proposed Copperwood Mine.

Rolling out the power grid, cell towers, and industrial roads in the buffer zone of a sensitive ecological and cherished outdoor recreation area is not in the best interests of Michigan and is not an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars. Far from the assertion that this infrastructure would serve the community, its exclusive purpose is to advance the proposed Copperwood Mine, an inexperienced Canadian company's plan to mine next to and underneath Porcupine Mountains State Park, ship the copper to Canada, and leave all 40+ million tons of metallic sulfide waste next to Lake Superior. In addition to compromising a beloved area, the mine would drag the Western Upper Peninsula back to the frontlines of boom-and-bust extraction, rather than encourage the positive trend of developing a homegrown economy.

This same funding has three times been denied by lawmakers due to pushback from around the state and nation, and to approve it now would be to steamroll over the will of the people.

Please join us in fighting for a truly Pure Michigan.

Thank you for your consideration."

*** For more inspiration, you'll find ample material on the home page.

Please share this action with others. Thank you!

Despite the Copperwood Project lacking $400+ million, despite lacking crucial preliminary infrastructure such as the power grid, cell towers, and industrial roads, and despite lacking the support of We the People, Michigan's environmental regulatory agency EGLE continues to issue permits enabling the clearcutting of forest, the destruction of wetlands, and the rerouting of streams.

Permitting destruction is the same as committing it. So it's time to speak up! It's time to hold the permitters accountable!

The Copperwood Permit must regularly apply for new permits and to renew existing ones. One major permit — the NPDES permit for wastewater discharge — is currently under consideration, and a public comment period will eventually be opened. Interestingly, this application has suffered a six-month delay in approval, potentially suggesting that EGLE may be beginning to feel the will of the people, so the time to strike is now!

Our goal is to pre-empt the upcoming public comment period by setting a firm tone. We need thousands from around Michigan to demand that EGLE cease to issue ALL permits for this dangerous and widely opposed project.

In many of our actions we encourage participation from folks from outside of Michigan. In this case, however, we believe EGLE will be most receptive to Michiganders. Please only participate if you are a Michigan resident / property owner.

1. Write an email to this address:  EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov
2. And / or make a phone call: 800-662-9278 (Monday through Friday, 8am-4:30pm EST
3. Speak your mind or use the sample message below. Be sure to include a phrase to this effect: "Please halt the issuing of all major and minor permits for the proposed Copperwood Mine."
4. Share this action with others!

Here is a sample message which you may adapt to your liking:

"Hello,

My name is _________ and I'm a resident of ________. I kindly request that your agency cease to issue all major and minor permits for the proposed Copperwood Mine. The development of this dangerous project is not in the best interests of Michigan, and it does not have the support of the people. By permitting Copperwood's advancement, you are complicit in destroying and compromising a beloved area at the juncture of the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness, Lake Superior, and the North Country Trail. 

Once again, I urge your agency to stand with the people of this great state by halting the project.

Please make note of this message for the consideration of the agency's directors.

Thank you."

*** To elaborate on your reasons for opposing Copperwood, you'll find ample material on the home page.

Please share this action with others. Thank you!