LAKE TOWNSHIP -- The Back Forty Mine project in Lake Township in Menominee County will be the first mining operation in the southern U.P. Development and construction on the gold and zinc mine will take place within the next three years.
But what'll this 700-acre operation mean for the local economy? It’ll mean hundreds of jobs, which in turn, will increase business.
“The small people who have a business like me. I own a body shop,” explains Jimmy Lampinen. “And if it helps everyone out, then it's a good thing."
HudBay Minerals and Aquila Resources are the joint venture partners. They're expecting 280 full-time positions to come from the 8-10 year project. They also expect to hire 300 to 400 temporary construction workers.
But where will these employees come from?
“If they're just going to send lots of Canadian people and people from other countries and they get jobs here, and we don't get anything, well then, the mine can just stay where it is," Lampinen said.
But officials said that won't be the case.
“Well, the unique thing about this project,” explains Mick Lawler, Back Forty Project Manager, “it's made and it's going stay in the U.S.A., so there'll be no out-sourcing or changing of jobs. It’s going to be a mixture of locals, and as necessary, people traveling to the area to work from the outside."
But before they can get started, officials first have to meet the requirements of government regulated mining laws.
The Back Forty Joint venture will submit permit applications within the next 18 months where they'll document how the mine will affect the air, land, and soil.
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