Canadian Mining Company Moving Ahead with Plans to Drill for Copper and Gold Near Wausau

Thursday, October 6th, 2022 -- 12:00 PM

(By Danielle Kaeding, Wisconsin Public Radio) A Canadian mining company is moving ahead with plans to drill for copper and gold in northern Wisconsin and may soon submit plans to drill for gold near Wausau.

According to Danielle Kaeding, the development comes as some Wisconsin tribes and residents work to prevent mining and strengthen environmental protections. GreenLight Metals, doing business as GreenLight Wisconsin, wants to conduct exploratory drilling of the Bend deposit at a 40-acre site owned by the U.S. Forest Service in Taylor County.

The deposit is believed to contain 4 million tons of mostly copper and gold. GreenLight submitted a notice of intent to drill detailing its plans and a wetland report to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources in late September.

Documents submitted to the DNR state GreenLight hopes to begin drilling in November once the ground has frozen. Dan Colton, president and CEO of GreenLight Metals, said in a statement that its filings with the state represent the first of many steps the company must take before drilling can begin.

"As our nation works to strengthen our national defense and develop critical infrastructure through domestically sourcing clean energy minerals, GreenLight looks forward to the role it may play in building a more sustainable, clean energy economy," said Colton.

The company is proposing to drill at six new sites on private and federal land where GreenLight is leasing mineral rights from Soo Line Railroad, otherwise known as Canadian Pacific Railway. The company maintains only two wetlands and no waterways exist within the drilling area.

"GreenLight Wisconsin's consultant went out and investigated the site and evaluated the existing site conditions and have indicated that the proposal will avoid any regulated wetlands that exist out in the field," said Ben Callan, chief of the DNR’s integration services section.

Even so, GreenLight notes wood matting, which are used for short-term water crossings, may be required over a ditch containing a wetland to access the site. The company expects work to last about three months.

Reclamation of the site would be completed within six months of the date the company no longer needs the drill holes. GreenLight estimates it will cost nearly $46,000 to abandon nine drill holes and restore the area.

The DNR is currently evaluating any permits or approvals that may be required and whether the agency needs more information from the company. State regulators have 30 days from receipt of the documents to approve or deny GreenLight’s plans.

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