Published: June 25, 2025 |

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Cleveland-Cliffs’ Tilden Mine recently had a permit approved to permanently fill regulated wetland and stream with rock stockpile and mine waste.

Permit #WRP045322 was approved by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy and authorizes the Tilden Mine to conduct the following:

• Permanently fill 32.5 acres of regulated wetland and 272 linear feet of regulated stream to provide an additional 93 million long tons of rock stockpile capacity to support the Tilden Mine 20-year iron ore production plan.

• Compensate for impacts by preserving 114.9 acres of wetland within the Green Creek Preservation Area, by protecting streams and wetlands within the Goose Lake Inlet Conservation Area via conservation easement and by utilizing 31.53 wetland credit acres available in the Republic Wetland Preserve.

Regulated wetlands and streams are subject to regulations at the federal, state, and local levels, designed to protect ecological functions and requiring permits for any activity that would impact the area, such as the Tilden Mine depositing their mine waste. Kayla Conklin, an environmental quality analyst for the Water Resources Division of EGLE, elaborated on how the permit includes protections put in place and reviewed by the EGLE WRD to ensure compliance with water quality standards.

“The recently permitted Tilden Mine waste rock stockpile expansion was reviewed and authorized under Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, and Part 303, Wetlands Protection, of Michigan’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act, 1994 PA 451, as amended. As part of the permit review process under these statutes, EGLE Water Resources Division evaluated potential secondary impacts to the surrounding watershed to ensure compliance with Michigan’s Water Quality Standards,” said Conklin in an email.

“EGLE’s WRD Resource Unit worked closely with EGLE’s Water Quality Unit to confirm that the proposed stockpile expansion met these standards. In addition, the Tilden Mine is required to submit an updated Stormwater Management Plan to ensure that the expansion complies with all applicable water quality regulations,” added Conklin.

The permit approval follows two unsuccessful applications in prior years. One was in 2022, where Cleveland-Cliffs applied to fill 99 acres of wetlands for the same project but later withdrew its application following concerns from regulators and the public. They tried again in 2023, instead proposing to fill 77.9 acres of wetlands and the application was withdrawn in June 2024 after significant pushback from tribal entities, federal regulators, and public opinion.

“Compared to the first application in 2022, the final permitted project reduces wetland impacts by 67 percent and stream impacts by 96 percent. It also includes additional permanent wetland preservation within the Escanaba River Watershed to help offset not just wetlands impacted by the authorized activities but also Tilden and Empire Mine’s cumulative impacts within the watershed,” said Conklin.

“EGLE determined that the project met all applicable statutory requirements for authorization under Parts 301 and Part 303 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act,” added Conklin.

When approving permits, the Michigan EGLE determines issuing a permit based on the following criteria:
• If the permit would be in the public interest.
• If the permit would be otherwise lawful.
• If the permit is necessary for the applicant to realize the benefits from the activity.
• If no unacceptable disruption to aquatic resources would occur, and
• If the proposed activity is wetland dependent or no feasible and prudent alternatives exist.

“To mitigate unavoidable wetland impacts from the project, the permit requires protecting 114.9 acres of wetland and 4,079 linear feet of stream within the Green Creek Preservation Area of the Escanaba River Watershed, as well as utilizing 31.53 wetland credit acres from the Republic Wetland Preserve. All preservation areas will be protected in perpetuity through a conservation easement and monitored annually,” said Conklin.

“In addition to requiring mitigation, EGLE will oversee the project through permit compliance monitoring, reporting, and site inspections to ensure that permit conditions are met. EGLE remains committed to administering Michigan’s environmental laws to protect regulated water resources while balancing the public’s need for raw materials like iron ore and the benefits mining provides to the local, state and national economies,” added Conklin.

The full permit, its conditions and maps of the affected areas can be read online HERE

More information about EGLE permits can be found HERE.

Source: Daily Press

Cleveland-Cliffs is a leading North America-based steel producer with focus on value-added sheet products, particularly for the automotive industry. The company is vertically integrated from the mining of iron ore, production of pellets and direct reduced iron, and processing of ferrous scrap through primary steelmaking and downstream finishing, stamping, tooling, and tubing. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland-Cliffs employs approximately 30,000 people across its operations in the United States and Canada.

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