Graymont Could Land Limestone Mine

A new limestone mine on state land in the eastern Upper Peninsula is one step closer to becoming a reality. Department of Natural Resources Director Keith Creagh has approved an exchange of mineral rights between the state and Graymont, Incorporated for 17-hundred acres near the Mackinac County town of Rexton. However, Creagh has not yet approved the mine itself.
Graymont is offering the state 30 cents in royalties for each ton of extracted limestone with the money going into the State Parks Endowment Fund. A public comment period on Graymont’s latest application for the mine is still on-going, and Creagh is expected to make his decision on March 19th. The environmental group “Save the Wild U.P.” issued a statement expressing its disappointment in Creagh’s decision. The group says that it benefits a foreign mining company at the expense of Michigan’s environment.