Michigan Copper Mines: New Legislation For Regulation

On Tuesday, Republican Gov. Rick Snyder signed a law to change the regulation of Michigan copper mines.

The legislation separates regulation for small native copper mines in the western Upper Peninsula that developers have been keeping an eye on.

Republican Sen. Tom Casperson of Escanaba says that regulating smaller mines the same way as larger mines is not economical and could do harm to increasing jobs.

While environmentalist and opponents are concerned that there are not enough safety precautions to protect against damage to the environment and to local water supplies.