Copper mining bill headed to Senate floor

LANSING — A bill that would make it easier for small native copper mines to be regulated is headed to the Michigan Senate floor.

Senate Bill 591, sponsored by Senator Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba), was recommended for adoption with immediate effect by the Senate’s Natural Resources committee last week. The bill is scheduled to be addressed by the committee of the whole on Tuesday.

Casperson said the bill would help smaller mining operations lessen the amount of hoops they have to jump through to mine for copper. He also expects that the legislation could add five to ten jobs per mining operation that the U.P. does not have.