Pro-Mining Group Launches Coalition To Promote Copperwood Project

A new coalition of more than 130 local leaders, labor unions, business leaders and Upper Peninsula residents today announced the launch of “Our U.P., Our Future,” a movement dedicated to championing the creation of jobs and opportunities for the U.P. while protecting the region’s natural resources.

The coalition includes all six of the state legislators representing the U.P., underscoring broad support for the effort across the region.

The U.P. has faced decades of economic hardship. Industry and hospital closures, declining K-12 populations and crumbling infrastructure have made it difficult for the region to attract the kind of jobs and opportunities needed for families to prosper. The “Our U.P., Our Future” coalition represents a group of community members standing united in the belief that the UP deserves opportunities and investments that will give the region a future.

The coalition’s priorities also reflect what residents across the region say they want. Recent statewide polling conducted by EPIC-MRA found 71% of Michigan voters support the Copperwood Project and 58% of voters support state funding for the project.

The Copperwood Project is a fully permitted greenfield mine that will create hundreds of good-paying jobs in the Western U.P., prioritizing environmental protections and meeting Michigan’s strict mining standards.

“Attracting new opportunities and industry to the U.P. is how we create the jobs that keep families here and move this region forward while protecting our natural resources. We know economic opportunity and the environment can co-exist because of the Eagle Mine,” said Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUp. “Invest UP is proud to be part of a coalition that’s working to make that a reality. The support here is real and it’s our job to make sure the rest of the state knows it.”

The coalition includes a growing list of organizations, businesses and residents who see responsible economic development as critical to the region’s future. Coalition members live work or do business in every Upper Peninsula county.

“We’ve watched jobs disappear and young people follow,” said Dan Siirila, Chairman of the Gogebic County Board of Commissioners. “As a county official, I have a responsibility to do everything I can to reverse that trend. So when opportunities come along that bring real jobs and real investment to Gogebic County, that matters deeply to the families I represent. That’s why I’m proud to be part of the ‘Our U.P, Our Future’ coalition. We’re calling for real economic opportunity in our communities and giving the next generation a path forward.”

“Our members have had to travel hours for work, or leave the U.P. altogether, because the opportunities haven’t been here,” said Ryan Stern of the Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council. “The trades have skilled workers who want nothing more than to build something in their own community and come home at the end of the day. When a project like this comes along, one that could positively change the future in the U.P, Michigan’s building trades are going to stand behind it.”

“Our U.P., Our Future” is calling on local, state and federal leaders to stand with U.P. workers and communities to support responsible projects like Copperwood that meet local and state standards and deliver the good-paying jobs this region has long deserved.

“Running a small business here means you get to know everyone at a personal level and you feel every person who leaves,” said George Dellich, owner of Club 28 Restaurant in Wakefield. “When good jobs aren’t here, families move and they take their grocery runs, their Friday night dinners and their everyday spending with them. A community that can’t keep its families can’t keep its businesses. That’s why ‘Our U.P, Our Future’ matters to me. When the U.P has good jobs, local businesses thrive and so do the communities we’re part of.”

Coalition Members

Marty Fittante, CEO, InvestUP

Garth Stengard, manager, Gogebic County Road Commission

Barry Bolich, chairman, Gogebic County Road Commission

Dan Siirila, chairman, Gogebic County Board of Commissioners

Jay Kangas, supervisor, Charter Township of Ironwood

Mandy Lake, supervisor, Wakefield Township

Dennis P. Aspinwall, Bessemer Township Supervisor

George Dellich, owner, Club 28

Tim Lynott, CEO, Keweenaw Land Association

Mayor Kim Corcoran, City of Ironwood

Mike Smith, Executive Director, UP Construction Council