Eagle Mine has operated in western Marquette County for more than a decade without a major environmental incident, generating an estimated $4.3 billion in economic impact for Michigan. Supporters of the proposed Copperwood copper mine in Gogebic County say that track record proves the Upper Peninsula can host responsible mining alongside a thriving outdoor economy.
Four U.P. legislators made that argument in an April 2025 Detroit News opinion piece, writing that Michigan's mining law and modern mining "have been a massive success at the Eagle Mine in Marquette County, where economic vitality and a beautiful place to live have co-existed for more than a decade." Sen. Ed McBroom, Rep. Karl Bohnak, Rep. David Prestin and Rep. Greg Markkanen co-authored the piece.
Eagle Mine's record
Eagle Mine, an underground nickel and copper operation on the Yellow Dog Plains, began commercial production in November 2014. It was the first mine permitted under Michigan's Part 632 Non-Ferrous Metallic Mineral Mining Law, passed in 2004 and considered among the most stringent mining regulations in the country.
The mine reported $208.6 million in revenue in 2025. Talon Metals acquired it from Lundin Mining in January 2026, absorbing approximately 425 employees between Eagle Mine and the associated Humboldt Mill. More than 85% of direct and indirect hires come from the Upper Peninsula, according to the mine's website.
Marquette County, estimated population 68,064, remains home to Northern Michigan University and a robust tourism economy. The mine earned National Safety Council Sentinels of Safety awards in 2019 and 2020.
An independent Community Environmental Monitoring Program, funded at $300,000 per year, has tracked water quality around the site since 2012.
Copperwood's path
Highland Copper Company's proposed $425 million Copperwood Mine in Wakefield Township would be the first copper-focused mine in the U.P. since White Pine Mine closed in 1997. The project is almost fully permitted and projected to create 380 jobs paying $80,000 to $120,000 per year. Gogebic County's unemployment stood at 6.8% and Ontonagon County's at 8.4% in August 2025, well above Michigan's 5.3% statewide rate.
Mike Foley, Copperwood's site manager and a licensed professional engineer from Ironwood, told UPword in August 2025: "We are not going ahead with this project unless we're absolutely certain that we can protect the water, that we're building as minimal a project as we absolutely need to, and that we cause no disturbance to the Porcupine Mountain State Forest or Lake Superior."
Twenty-two local governments have signed on in support. The grassroots group Protect the Porkies has collected roughly half a million signatures against it, citing concerns about a tailings basin on sloping terrain leading toward Lake Superior.
