Iron ore mine plans on hold in northern Wisconsin

The company looking to build a $1.5 billion iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin has stopped the project until state lawmakers agree on a new set of rules for reviewing such projects.

State Sen. Robert Jauch, D-Poplar, said this week that Gogebic Taconite is turning its attention toward sites in Michigan and Minnesota after a bid to push through new legislation failed recently.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

Officials with the Department of Natural Resources have said the amount of time required to obtain a mining permit depends on a project’s complexity. The shortest time, officials said, is about three and a half years.

A permit application by Crandon Mining to build a zinc and copper mine in northern Wisconsin, however, was under consideration for 10 years, costing the company some $70 million, before Crandon dropped its request.