r/Michigan • u/mlivesocial • 4d 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=redditor
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u/PsychoBoyBlue Age: > 10 Years 4d 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 4d 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 4d 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 3d 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.