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Iron Ore

  • The view of Lake Superior’s shoreline at Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A new copper mine near the lakeshore and the state park is stirring controversy. (Credit: David Kenyon / Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
    Copper Country’s Conundrum
    Ellie Katz
    Copper is a key metal for renewable energy, and experts say we’re going to need a lot more of it to transition to clean energy. Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is Copper Country. Some see copper mining as an economic boon for the region, but others worry it could come at the cost of some of the Great Lakes’ most pristine wild spaces.
  • A rendering of the new 1,200 foot lock that will be built in the St. Marys River.
    Soo Locks gets federal funding for major upgrade
    Max Copeland
    More money is going to help fund a new lock in the St. Marys River in Sault Ste. Marie. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced $478.9 million in federal money will come from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2021.
  • IPR News
    $75M to build new Soo Lock included in approved 2020 federal budget
    Kaye LaFond
    The spending package signed Friday by President Donald Trump includes $75.3 million to begin construction of a new Soo Lock.Most of the iron ore used in…
  • IPR News
    Great Lakes iron boats had strong 2017
    The Great Lakes iron ore trade had its best year since 2012. Freighters transported more than 60 million tons of iron ore from Great Lakes ports in 2017.…