Invest UP announces new coalition in support of Copperwood Mine project, UP development
MARQUETTE, Mich. (WLUC) - InvestUP announced the creation of a new coalition Monday, made up of more than 130 U.P. leaders, labor unions, business owners and residents. Among its priorities will be supporting the Copperwood Mine project.
InvestUP says the coalition will support the movement “Our U.P., Our Future,” which is dedicated to “championing the creation of jobs and opportunities for the U.P. while protecting the region’s natural resources.”
“Our U.P., Our Future” is calling on local, state and federal leaders to support projects that “meet local and state standards and deliver the good-paying jobs this region has long deserved.”
The coalition includes all six of the state legislators representing the U.P. Also included is a growing list of organizations, businesses and residents who see responsible economic development as critical to the region’s future.
InvestUP said the coalition will prioritize projects residents want to see come to fruition. The organization said a main priority right now is the Copperwood Mine Project, pointing to recent statewide polling conducted by EPIC-MRA, which found 71% of Michigan voters support the Copperwood Project and 58% of voters support state funding for the project.
InvestUP says the U.P. has faced decades of economic hardship. It says industry and hospital closures, declining K-12 populations and crumbling infrastructure have made it difficult for the region to attract the kind of jobs and opportunities needed for families to prosper, the organization says.
“The ‘Our U.P., Our Future’ coalition represents a group of community members standing united in the belief that the U.P. deserves opportunities and investments that will give the region a future,” the Monday release says.
“Attracting new opportunities and industry to the U.P. is how we create the jobs that keep families here and move this region forward while protecting our natural resources. We know economic opportunity and the environment can co-exist because of the Eagle Mine,” said Marty Fittante, CEO of InvestUp. “Invest UP is proud to be part of a coalition that’s working to make that a reality. The support here is real and it’s our job to make sure the rest of the state knows it.”
The coalition includes a growing list of organizations, businesses and residents who see responsible economic development as critical to the region’s future. Coalition members live work or do business in every Upper Peninsula county.
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