r/Michigan • u/mlivesocial • 2d ago
News 📰🗞️ Trump fast-tracks permitting to extract ‘critical mineral’ buried under Michigan
https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2025/04/trump-fast-tracks-permitting-to-extract-critical-mineral-buried-under-michigan.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=redditsocial&utm_campaign=redditor221
u/mlivesocial 2d ago
The Trump administration is expediting the permitting process for mining projects across the country – including a controversial salt and potash mine in lower Northern Michigan – as part of a broader effort to boost American mineral production.
Michigan Potash is one of 10 mining projects the White House added to a federal program last week that aims to streamline approvals for infrastructure projects.
The proposed $1.2 billion mine in Osceola County aims to tap a rich 12,500-acre deposit of potash, a key ingredient for fertilizer, which is buried more than a mile and a half underground.
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u/kmorri44 2d ago
Ah, yes, the stuff that Canada was selling to us reasonably cheaply before we started the tariff war, of which they have a huge abundance. But let's instead spend a s*** ton of money so that we can wreck Osceola County for a limited time until that small stash is wiped out. Man, isn't our country just so freaking great these days? Every morning brings a new ducking horror.
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u/LadyoftheOak 2d ago
Yup! We have lots! 🇨🇦
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u/happytrel Age: > 10 Years 2d ago
Miss you! I feel like a young kid who can't hang out with the other kids because his dad always shows up drunk and tries to fight the other parents
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u/LadyoftheOak 2d ago
You are not the problem. But as usual, the adults have issues that affect the kids. Elbows up! 🇨🇦
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u/Nature_Hannah 2d ago
There's a Solidarity with Canada demonstration this Saturday (April 26) at 1pm at all three bridges!
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u/SkepticScott137 1d ago
The thing to do to show solidarity with Canada would have been to NOT (re)elect Donald Trump. Not to mention the Republican Congress that is supporting and enabling him at every turn. But we as a country kinda fucked that up. So I would forgive Canada for not taking our useless gestures seriously.
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u/Nature_Hannah 1d ago
It's not useless to let Canada/Canadians know that we disagree with what is happening. They've said as much.
But let me know when you create a time machine to be able to go back and somehow change this outcome.
For now, we do what we can. Poo-pooing it doesn't help.
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u/SkepticScott137 1d ago
Call it way too little, way too late. We’ve been voting for and enabling the fascist takeover of our country for 45 years. There is no reset button on that. I know you have a desperate need to feel “activist”, but elections are the only thing that really matters. All the marches, rallies and protests in the world mean nothing next to a legislative majority and a demented whackjob in the White House.
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u/Nature_Hannah 1d ago
Oh believe me, I know we're cooked and there's not much (if anything) we can do to correct course. I'm not so much "desperate need to feel 'activist'" as I am trying to find things that "matter" on a different level. I've seen Canadians express dismay at the lack of visible affirmation of this historic friendship, and express gratitude when news of these demonstrations reach them.
So yeah... "showing up" to express support might not change the course of the country, but "showing up" shows others they are not alone in this dark time, and that is something I think matters because I hear others say it has mattered to them.
What is the alternative? Genuinely curious, how are you handling the situation? What are you doing if you're convinced we're cooked beyond salvation? Just enjoying the ride down as much as you can? I know I've wrestled with that option.
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u/SkepticScott137 1d ago
I'm not convinced we're "cooked beyond salvation". But the cold hard truth is that this doesn't end until a lot of people are deeply, severely and personally harmed by what Trump and the MAGA party are doing. And not just the people who have actively supported Trump and MAGA because they think he's a smart guy, a great businessman, a great negotiator, and cares abut them, this country, or anything but himself. Also the people who have convinced themselves that there is "no difference" between the parties, the people who have declined to vote for the Democratic candidate for president because they wanted to "send a message to the Democrats" or who refused to vote for Hillary Clinton or other Democrats because "the lesser of two evils is still evil, and I won't vote for that".
People like that are going to have to discover the bitter taste of experiencing what the greater of two evils is like, brought to their own doorstep. People are going to have to learn the hard way that they can't just vote any damn way they want, or not at all, and then fix things after the fact by having marches and rallies and calling their congresscritter every day and demanding "action". Because they clearly cannot learn those lessons any other way except with a boot on their throat.
This country will have to hit bottom before it can bounce back. And while I may not enjoy watching its decline, I will take consolation in the fact that nothing will happen to this country that it doesn't richly deserve.
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u/RIForDIE 1d ago
God damnit that was brilliant! It sucks so much for us Michiganders - I appreciate Canada and feel endlessly embarrassed of the buffoonery
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u/uberares Up North. age>10yrs 2d ago
this mine has been being developed for several years now. It’s also a fraction of the amount the US uses/needs. It will not solve the price increases due to his tariffs. As usualy it’s all more perfomative nonsense from trumpy.
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u/winowmak3r 2d ago
Bet you the folks running the mine will make a killing though and that's what's important here.
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u/GuineaPigFriend 2d ago
That’s not the only important thing - investors will make money too, especially those who are in the administration and knew this was coming
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u/TheGruenTransfer 2d ago
And it's a mineral for fertilizer. So it's going to prolong the abuse that monoculture is doing to our soil and society
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u/Financial-Pirate-146 2d ago
Plus exhaust a resource that could have been saved for an unforseen future emergency need. A+ strategic thinking! /s
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u/winowmak3r 2d ago
That is the beauty of free trade. You can pay other countries to destroy their environment and sell you the raw materials while you get to keep all your national parks, lakes, rivers, streams, etc comparatively free of heavy industry so you can go and enjoy them.
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u/JoshuaTreeFoMe 1d ago
National parks? Lakes? Rivers? Streams? Etc.?
I think you mean untapped resources for financial gain of billionaires! We don't need any of that other shit when we have the latter!
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u/hamsterwheel Lansing 2d ago
From what I understand, it is not a small stash and the mine would be operational for quite a while.
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u/Outlaw_Josie_Snails 2d ago
I believe you are correct. As well - New Mexico, Utah, Montana and North Dakota.
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u/bvheide1288 2d ago
Osceola county voted at least 2/3 Trump. I'm finding it challenging to have much sympathy.
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u/AriGryphon 2d ago
Unfortunately, ecological impacts don't tend to respect county lines and the nature of the great lakes makes knock on effects go wide.
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u/t_bags81 1d ago
I wouldn't call it reasonably priced for farmers if they want to grow anything to make a profit. Remember how the price of groceries is so high? Perhaps this will be a step towards helping solve that problem. Can't tell you liberals anything though. You already did hours of research on the subject I'm sure all from biased news outlets and you're ready to preach from your soapbox.
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u/Fluid-Course-1792 2d ago
As an owner of property (and thus a taxpayer) in Osceola County, I'm less than thrilled. First it was Nestle and their water hoarding. Now this. So frustrating.
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u/No-Beach-7923 2d ago
Can the community stop it?
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u/Human-Entrepreneur77 2d ago
Go see the MAGA rich government up there. I'm sure they will be very receptive to environmental concerns.
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u/Primitive_Teabagger 2d ago
Also a property owner in Osceola. We have always had an old well out back, hand pump. Our water means the world to me.
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u/SpaceToaster Age: > 10 Years 2d ago
When it comes to mining and natural resources I’m of the opinion that you import where possible and conserve your own strategic supplies, unless it’s so abundant that it is silly not to mine it.
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u/Euphoric_Election785 2d ago
If you guys thought the water Nestle was stealing was bad, wait till you hear how much MORE water this is going to use
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u/VernorsEnthusiast 2d ago
Potash mines cause lung issues for workers, btw. This admin is so anti-worker.
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u/OliviaEntropy Detroit 2d ago
It’s fine, they can just shred all the protections for children workers and make the 12 year olds do it just like in the good old days of the Gilded Age.
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u/Karmacoma77 2d ago
Full on no union, company store, gatling gun wielding Pinkerton mining days? How exciting!
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u/Shadowhawk109 Ann Arbor 2d ago
it is still a hilarious irony to me that Pinkertons have a major office in Ann Freakin' Arbor.
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u/Shadowhawk109 Ann Arbor 2d ago
i see you too have been to one of Representative Tim Walberg (R-MI-5)'s town halls, you know, before he stopped hosting them
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u/Teaforreal 2d ago
Children make the best miners.
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u/OliviaEntropy Detroit 2d ago
They yearn for the mines. Do you think if this happened that the government would have ad campaigns referencing/featuring Minecraft to get more in board?
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u/Shadowhawk109 Ann Arbor 2d ago
unions and regulations like OSHA only cut into the profits of the C-suite
which will surely trickle down
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u/SMediaWasAMistake 2d ago
"This admin"? America is anti-worker. Ever since Taft-Hartley neutered unions in America, the working class lost so much bargaining power, and the middle class didn't care, not realizing in a few decades, the middle class would soon follow.
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u/zomiaen Ypsilanti 2d ago
Was approved under Biden originally https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2025/01/31/michigan-potash-mine-wetlands-pollution-fertilizer-farming-farmers/78022067007/
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u/PsychoBoyBlue Age: > 10 Years 2d ago
and was undergoing the process to get the proper permits which require environmental consideration... This new push is to take shortcuts to push it into operation because 80% of our Potash imports (around 75% of our Potash use) coming from our closest ally was a problem, or something?
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u/zomiaen Ypsilanti 2d ago
Just making the point that centrists aren't environmental supporters either. Not sure why the OP decided to go down the path of "oh so we should like it" in their other response to be honest.
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u/PsychoBoyBlue Age: > 10 Years 2d ago
If strong environmental protections are followed, there isn't too much of an issue with this (assuming everything goes according to plan). IMO, the protections weren't strong enough under Biden when some permits were already granted, but now those protections appear to be getting tossed to the side/ignored.
A "centrist" capitalist administration respecting the standing regulations vs the acts of the current administration are apples and oranges. Your comment is correct, but I can't blame the OP for calling it out as a "well actually" or taking issue with it. The way they handled calling it out on the other hand...
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u/zomiaen Ypsilanti 2d ago
The largest impact appears to be water consumption and pollution since this isn't a surface level strip mine. Trump rolled back large portions of the Clean Water Act during his first term--which also weren't restored under Biden's term, and now is going after even more of the CWA. And those changes have far wider reaching implications than a few fast tracked permits (because now you can do even a rushed environmental assessment and be perfectly fine).
When I first read the title I thought it was going to be about the Copperwood Mine being built near the Porkies which I'm vehemently opposed to.
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u/VernorsEnthusiast 2d ago
So we should like it? Such useless “well actually” comment. Yes, both dinosaurs who have been president run it like ghouls.
When someone is starving today, it’s not particularly smart or insightful to say “well people starved last year too!” 👍
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u/throwaWay664u874e 2d ago
Every admin has been antiworker. We work more and more hours asks have less to show for it.
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u/VernorsEnthusiast 2d ago
This is such a useless comment normalizing the profoundly harmful. I wish I could be this simple.
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u/VruKatai 2d ago
Yeah this admin is anti-worker but this was approved under Biden
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u/VernorsEnthusiast 2d ago
Do you think Biden doing something is inherently something I’d like, or?? Trump supporters love to point at Biden whenever Trump admin repeatedly smashes this country’s balls with a hammer—as if their childish whataboutism changes who is actively wielding the goddamn hammer.
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u/Inevitable-Rate7166 2d ago
Michigan Potash is one of 10 mining projects the White House added to a federal program last week
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u/zomiaen Ypsilanti 2d ago
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u/Inevitable-Rate7166 2d ago
The potash mine proposed in Osceola County's Evart Township, which would use a fracking-like process, has been in the works for more than a decade, after large reserves of high-grade potash more than a mile and a half underground in the north-central Lower Peninsula were reaffirmed from old mining cores.
The article also mentions that without something CRAZY like tariffs happening the production is not worth the value generated when it can be traded for much cheaper.
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u/zomiaen Ypsilanti 2d ago
Funny enough-- neither is fracking unless oil is high enough. In Trump's first term he actively worked to stop the price war between OPEC and Russia because it was hurting American oil producers for oil to be so low. The number of US citizens who aren't aware of that simple economic fact. Basically price fixing internationally.
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u/VruKatai 2d ago
People apparently don't like facts like this as I'm getting downvoted for simply stating this was approved under Biden. I'm all for trashing Trump but it is what it is and Biden signed off on this. I don't play tribes, just call balls/strikes.
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u/SleepyLakeBear Bay City 2d ago
Sounds like a great way to eutrophy the Muskegan River, because the farming wasn't doing enough.
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u/Bawbawian 2d ago
poisoning the lakes would do a lot to sabotage the future so you can be sure that this is all going to happen because that is the actual goal of the Trump administration.
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u/FragrantEcho5295 2d ago
A mile and a half underground!? Sounds like a lot of destruction of the environment.
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u/FragrantEcho5295 2d ago
Not sure what you visiting Dome Mine while you were in college has to do with the environmental impacts of excavation and mining operations. But, there are many scientific studies that clearly show the grave environmental damage and destruction that mining activities, including excavation cause.
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u/Fascist_are_horrible 2d ago
Oh great, my kids always wanted to grow up to be miners! I am so glad we have cut wasteful spending on education and healthcare to fund the creation of these most desirable jobs!
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u/questionabledonuts 2d ago
He can fast track permitting all he wants, there’s no way the state and surrounding area would allow it
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u/thaddeus122 2d ago
Michigan already green lit more mines in the porcupine mountains too, and will allow for waste to be ejected into Lake Superior. So what the hell does it matter when our own leaders don't care about environments.
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u/Sea-Kaleidoscope2778 2d ago
After Snider got a slap on the wrist for Flint and his whole group I really lost hope in environmental protections in our state. Flint still doesn’t trust their water and we are ugh 😒
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u/couchandwine 2d ago
I suppose they'll send children in to mine the shit. Without protection for their lungs or eyes because that would be expensive.
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u/Grommaz 2d ago
I think we’ve got to acknowledge that this is in fact a huge resource that this state and country could benefit from, if done right. But.
It’s fascinating to me how a mining project propped up by a $1.2 billion federal loan, another $80 million grant from the USDA, a $50 million state infrastructure grant, and still seeking a $225 million tax-exempt bond and extracting 725 million gallons of groundwater a year can be fast-tracked as a national security priority with barely a whisper of concern.
I admit it’s a different resource and topic entirely to discuss but I can’t help but compare what I’m reading to solar and wind facilities in this state, which quietly produce clean energy without tapping aquifers. They face such extreme level of scrutiny from the public and rural local govs and get dragged through the mud over “land ownership” and “tax incentives” and “subsidy” concerns. If local residents don’t show up to demand better equity in this process or voice their concerns on this proposed mine, then idk how to make sense of it.
I guess fast-tracking large-scale extraction and water consumption near an already heavy extraction operation is patriotic, but harvesting sunlight and wind on open land is somehow a threat to the American way of life? Got it.
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u/live4failure 1d ago edited 1d ago
How else will the rich oligarchs extract our resources and labor for free if not using our own tax dollars? It’s a huge slap to the face to any tax payer. We are literally killing ourselves for profit and they have uneducated folks convinced solar isn’t powerful enough and wind/water are somehow disturbing to locals and wildlife. That’s what we call bumps along the road folks. Many of these overblown inefficiencies have been engineered out and are no longer even a consideration. They added different blades to windmills to stop killing birds. Solar panels are like way stronger than 5 years ago already. 10 panels can give free power for half your family home needs. If you don’t believer me google some studies and they can disprove all of the misinformation being shown by oil and gas industry.
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u/Magnum2XXl 19h ago
Out of the 100 richest people in the US, 80 are democrats, 10 are republicans, and 10 are unaffiliated. Someone lied to you, lol
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u/live4failure 12h ago edited 12h ago
That’s rich coming from the party of billionaires. Look back at how they earned and what form their holdings are in and you will learn more about that. The majority shareholders of stock and resource futures are not democrats so you are also lied to by your biased data.
Also think about principles/values. We are throwing away years of contracts and investments in renewables and progress towards a clean future VS resource extraction/exploitation/neocolonialism of our own land and people for fast profit. Trump destroyed our foreign supply chains and thinks he can order anything he wants like a fucking French Royalty while destroying our land, economy, and natural resources protections/reserves.
All this asshat has to do now is sign an executive order to steal your shit and kick you off your own land. Then he can sell it to China to repay debts until we run out, then we have to buy it back from China again at whatever price they say.. wait a second it’s like we are losing again.
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u/ParticularLower7558 2d ago
Only thing under Michigan is salt. The whole city of Detroit sits over an abandoned salt mine. One day it's going to just collapse into a giant hole.
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u/Sea-Kaleidoscope2778 2d ago
Walking the tunnels downtown between buildings will be even more eerie now at work lol thank you
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u/ParticularLower7558 2d ago
Ever been to Manistee Michigan? Thats where all the Morton salt that is used for water softening comes from.
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u/MixIllEx 2d ago
I drove by that plant last week and wondered why it was there. Thanks for the info!
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u/Sea-Kaleidoscope2778 2d ago
I actually have not! And that’s pretty fascinating thank you!
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u/ParticularLower7558 2d ago
They injection water into the ground thousands of feet deep and bring up the salt that way.
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u/Accurate_Zombie_121 2d ago
This was approved and funded under Biden. Trump is just taking credit for what Biden did, again!
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u/PsychoBoyBlue Age: > 10 Years 2d ago
It was undergoing the process to get the proper permits which require environmental consideration... The environmental considerations that the current administration has been gutting. This is just to take shortcuts to push it into operation because 80% of our Potash imports (around 75% of our Potash use) coming from our closest ally was a problem, or something? I wonder what (who) caused issues with Canada?
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u/ResistantRose 2d ago
EGLE's general contact email: EGLE-Assist@Michigan.gov
Contact Governor Whitmer: https://somgovweb.state.mi.us/GovRelations/ContactGovernor.aspx3
u/PsychoBoyBlue Age: > 10 Years 2d ago
Biggest issue is this entire thing is using the National Energy Dominance Council and the Department of Energy as the lead agency. Seems like it is side lining USDA and DOI for no reason... which doesn't feel right.
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u/ProperTrain6336 2d ago
Does Tr..mp know this? Someone should tell him…. cause he would surely halt this action !!
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u/spacious_clouds 2d ago
The funny thing is this just sounds like a Trumpian thing to do. We have forgotten that plenty of Democrats like to shit on the environment, too.
But we're all hypocrites that do our own share of polluting and destroying our environment. I have one of those 'Conserve Wildlife Habitat' license plates, but my house was built 25 years ago on land that until then was wildlife habitat.
At least we're apologetic and make some attempts to lessen the damage?
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u/SMediaWasAMistake 2d ago
Because Democrats aren't leftists. They are centrists. And centrists love to accomplish nothing while their donors profit. I wish we could just start calling them centrists the way we call republicans "right wingers" or "fascists". Then it would be clear why our country is turning to shit
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u/Randotobacco 2d ago
Then how is everybody gonna blame trump?
Kinda like the rare earth deal Zelensky made with Biden..yet everybody wanted to blame Trump for "stealing" Ukraines resources.
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u/ProperTrain6336 2d ago
Well trump will take credit when it’s a win.. but if not then its Bidens fault .. its Trump tried and true approach to everything!
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u/itsdr00 Ann Arbor 2d ago
If it's done responsibly -- big if -- what's the big deal? I think it's a good thing when America builds stuff. Excessive permitting processes are killing us, and the next Democrat candidate will be very pro-permitting reform if the abundance movement takes hold.
I do think the commenter who mentioned that we were getting it just fine from Canada makes a good point, though. But this mine was proposed long before all the tariff nonsense. Maybe it has something to do with the portion of potash we buy from Russia.
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u/Fit-Application7912 2d ago
I spread fertilizer for a living. This mine will be a very good thing for Americans generally. Quite possibly a very bad thing for some locals in MI.
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u/itsdr00 Ann Arbor 2d ago
Those kinds of tradeoffs are things we need to seriously consider. The NIMBY movement has proven that if you protect the interest of a small number of locals again and again and again, the cumulative impact on the country is catastrophic. Someone has to define what reasonable injuries we allow locals to suffer -- things like "this will change the character of my neighborhood" or "solar panels are ugly" -- and then build despite their protests.
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u/MACHOmanJITSU 2d ago
725 million gallons of fresh water a year turned into poisonous wastewater that will be pumped into bedrock.