Tilden Iron Mine

Starving Watersheds for Profit since 1963

Thank you to everyone who submitted a public comment raising concerns about the permit application! As of June 20, 2024, Cliffs has withdrawn its permit application to fill 77.9 acres of wetlands and 4,661 linear feet of streams with mine waste. EGLE recommended the withdrawal due to issues with tribal concerns and coordination, cumulative impacts in the watershed, and public comments. See news coverage of this announcement here!

landscape photo looks out over a rocky bluff at a forested wetland area, with the Tilden Mine's orange tailings ponds visible in the distance.

Looking out over the edge of Slugg's Bluff at a forested wetland area, with the Tilden Mine's orange tailings ponds visible in the distance.

Google Earth photo shows the bright orange Tilden Mine tailings dams, so large they are visible from space.

The Tilden Mine is an open-pit iron ore mine located 5 miles south of Ishpeming in Marquette County. Owned and operated by Cleveland-Cliffs (“Cliffs”), the Tilden and Empire mines sit directly adjacent in the Escanaba River watershed. According to recent calculations, Tilden employs close to 1,000 people, making it a significant economic driver in Marquette County.

Since 1963, CCI has destroyed 1,830 acres of wetlands and lakes to continue mining at Tilden and Empire.

With an average ore grade of only 30%, the mine produces a significant amount of waste, which is stored both in piles which have filled entire lakes and streams in the watershed, as well as created bright orange tailings ponds so large they’re visible from space.

The Tilden is reaching the end of its mine life, and in order to continue mining, they desire additional space to store more waste rock generated by their mining operations. In 2022, Cliffs submitted a wetland permit application to Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to fill 97.7 acres of wetlands and 6,749 linear feet of streams in the watershed with mine waste. They withdrew that application in 2023 due to the federal listing of the Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB) as an endangered species, and subsequently contracted out a survey of the proposed site to determine the presence of the NLEB.

Cliffs submitted a new application on December 20, 2023 to fill a lesser, but still very significant, 77.9 acres of wetlands and 4,661 linear feet of streams with mining waste. [to see 2023 application, click here and download PN PLANS GO from 12/20/2023]

An engineering map identifies wetlands, lakes, and streams within the proposed mine expansion boundary.

An engineering map identifies 77.9 acres wetlands and lakes and 4,661 linear ft of streams within the 2023 proposed mine expansion boundary. Courtesy of Cleveland-Cliffs.

Citizens for a Safe & Clean Lake Superior has serious concerns about this expansion and banded together with UPEC-Mining Action Group to conduct outreach and encourage the public to submit comments in opposition to the 2023 permit application. Click to see CSCLS's and UPEC-MAG's comments. Our outreach was successful in garnering over 500 public comments in opposition to the application using a form-based template comment for user convenience, citing the following reasoning:

The consideration of feasible alternatives done by the applicant is inadequate. Because this project is not dependent upon being in a wetland, other alternative locations should be thoughtfully considered. More costly alternatives are still feasible if the cost difference is within reason (MCL 324.30311(8)), Mich. Admin. Code R. 281.922a(11)). Feasible potential alternatives include backfilling the Tilden pit, utilizing Empire Mine property, National Mine property, or adjacent upland areas; these unconsidered alternatives demand careful consideration (MCL 324.30311(2)(b)).
Because Tilden is in the final Life of Mine stage (25 years), any economic benefits are short-term, whereas impacts proposed to wetlands and streams are permanent and therefore not in the public interest (MCL 324.30311(2)).
The proposed mitigation sites are inadequate. The Republic Wetlands Preserve (RWP) should not be a permitted mitigation area. These wetlands have limited functionality due to their positioning above the Republic Mine tailings ponds; the RWP is also located 15.5 miles from the mine site in a different watershed (MCL 324.30311d(9)(a)). At a minimum, the applicant should propose mitigation projects within the watershed, within a short distance of the project area, which will benefit the public interest. (MCL 324.30311d(2)).
The applicant’s claim that there is no presence of endangered or threatened species within 1.5 miles of the Tilden Mine is inaccurate. Grey Wolves have been observed as recently as 2022 through trail cam footage from adjacent landowners, and Bald Eagles have been photographed within these boundaries in 2024. Cliffs did not complete sufficient biological studies to confirm the presence or absence of these and several other species of concern.
It is unlawful – piecemealing – for the Empire and Tilden Mines to receive separate permits to impact shared water resources without careful consideration of their shared cumulative impacts. These two mines are treated as separate entities by Cliffs, but they are directly adjacent to each other, wholly owned and operated by the same company, and share many of the same contracting services. Cliffs received a 66.3-acre wetland permit for the Empire Mine in 2019 and now has applied for a 77.9-acre wetland permit for the Tilden Mine. When considered together, these permits total 144.2 acres and represent some of the largest permanent wetland losses ever permitted by Michigan’s environmental regulators. Cumulative impacts to streams from these piecemealed permits total 7,465 linear feet.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency submitted a letter to EGLE objecting to the expansion project on April 1, 2024, which included another letter from the U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service citing additional concerns. EGLE met with Cliffs representatives multiple times following the end of the public comment period, and eventually recommended Cliffs withdraw the application due to approaching administrative deadlines and unresolved key issues. Major concerns shared by EGLE and EPA include tribal coordination and concerns, and issues raised in public comment, especially cumulative impacts within the watershed.

Cliffs withdrew the permit application on June 20, 2024.

EGLE expects a reapplication once Cliffs can address the concerns, and Cliffs recently stated that the expansion is “indefinitely paused”.

An American Bald Eagle takes off from a dead tree, with the closeby snow-covered Tilden Mine stockpiles visible through pine trees in the background.

An American Bald Eagle flies, with the closeby snow-covered Tilden Mine stockpiles in the background.

2022 trail cam footage from a adjacent landowner shows presence of grey wolves in the immediate vicinity of Tilden Mine.

Relevant Documents, Studies, Permits, Articles:

If you’re interested in reading the hundreds of public comments, correspondence between EGLE and the Mining Company, or other documents relevant to the application and issue, they are available below as PDFs or directly from MI Enviro Portal.

Joint Permit Application (too large to upload -- in this link, it is called PN PLANS GO. In September 2024, it's on page 9)

Public Comments 1 2 3

EPA & FWS Objection Letters

Cumulative Impacts Assessment

Republic Wetland Preserve Supporting Information

Updated Alternatives Analysis

EGLE Correspondence Recommending Withdrawal

EGLE Clarification Mitigation Watershed Boundaries

Cliffs-EGLE Correspondence Re: Public Hearing Presentation

2022 Application Alternatives Analysis