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A bill to create a committee to guide decisions on Michigan’s mining industry is one step closer to becoming law.
Introduced by State Representative Sara Cambensy in February, the bill would create the Committee on Michigan’s Mining Future.
The Michigan Senate voted unanimously to approve the bill this week. The House previously approved the bill with a vote of 107-1.
“I’m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers for their near-unanimous support for my mining bill,” said Cambensy. “This committee will serve the needs of the capital-intensive mining industry, which currently suffers from a lack of coordination and long-term planning among its many public and private stakeholders.”
The committee would be responsible for making advisory legislative and policy recommendations to strengthen and develop sustainable mining practices in Michigan.
“This advisory committee will be able to take a long-term view of the mining industry’s complex needs around infrastructure, energy, taxation, environmental remediation, competitiveness, permitting and more,” said Cambensy. “It will also allow emerging ideas to be vetted by experts and be assessed, cultivated and implemented through new and revised legislative policy recommendations critical to move Michigan’s economy forward. I believe this forum will help minimize conflict and uncertainty, while creating an opportunity for consensus and sound solutions on controversial issues.”
“A lack of coordination among stakeholders, regulators and communities has impeded the progress of one of the Upper Peninsula’s core industries,” State Representative Greg Markkanen said. “This advisory committee would help all the players better coordinate, protect our natural resources, and make the progress critical to the U.P. economy.”
The committee will be able to explore research and advancements in mining such as Michigan Tech’s phosphorous eating bacteria and lithium ion battery recycling center, as well as applications in high-tech medical devices and other technologies. With this committee, Michigan could position itself to lead in this field by developing a direct reduced iron pellet for modern electric arc furnaces, which are necessary for recycling used steel.
“Mining is not only a part of the Upper Peninsula’s rich history, it supports quality jobs for Michiganders, while making our modern lifestyle possible,” Markkanen said. “Mining supplies many of the raw materials necessary to build a range of consumer projects—from cellphones and computer chips to infrastructure projects and roads.”
The bill now heads to Gov. Whitmer for final approval following a final House vote.
