Published: July 31, 2024 |

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Cleveland-Cliffs withdrew its permit application to fill 77.9 acres of wetlands and 4,661 linear feet of streams with mine waste as of June 20.

According to a press release from Citizens for a Safe & Clean Superior (CSCLS), the withdrawal was recommended by Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) due to unresolved concerns about tribal coordination and concerns, as well as cumulative impacts to the Escanaba River watershed.

The public comment period for the wetland permit application ended, but saw a significant amount of high-quality public comments due to advocacy by local environmental groups CSCLS and the Mining Action Group of the UP Environmental Coalition (MAG-UPEC).

More than 500 public comments were submitted, citing concerns about inadequate consideration of impact areas, including insufficient biological surveys to determine presence of protected species.

CSCLS says other major concerns included the large cumulative impact of recent wetland permits requested and received by Cleveland-Cliffs; which total to 144.2 acres of wetlands in the past 5 years, in addition to thousands of acres of mine-impacted lands in Marquette County. Also of concern was the quality and watershed impacts of the proposed mitigation sites.

CSCLS Director Jane Fitkin says the news presents “a significant win for the power of public participation. We, and our community, are ready to respond if Tilden’s next permit application includes major wetland impacts.”

Marquette County has lost more than 45,000 acres of its wetlands to industry, agriculture, and development. Wetlands are crucial to overall water quality and watershed health, as they filter pollutants and excess nutrients, provide critical habitat for diverse native flora and fauna, and lessen impacts of flooding and erosion due to their ability to hold large amounts of water.

Cliffs is expected to submit a new application for the expansion of the waste rock stockpiles at Tilden Mine, but it is unclear at this point if wetland impacts will be avoided. In the case of regulated ecosystem impacts, there would be a public notice period and concerned citizens will need to request another public hearing

Source: TV6

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 pellets, production of 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 28,000 people across its operations in the United States and Canada.

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