Appropriations subcommittee hears dozens of LDSI requests; $50M Wakefield infrastructure ask sparks public opposition

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor and Economic Opportunity heard more than two dozen legislative‑directed spending requests at a long public hearing that opened with members taking testimony despite the absence of a formal quorum.

The most contentious ask came at the end of the session when representatives of the Upper Peninsula delegation sought a $50 million infrastructure grant for Wakefield Township to upgrade roads, power and telecommunications and to make an industrial park development‑ready. Representative Dave Preston and Wakefield Township Supervisor Mandy Lake told the committee the funds would be administered by the township and used for public infrastructure — not to a mining company — and said upgrades would support forestry, timber and possible future mining‑related investment. Lake framed the request as a generational economic development opportunity for a region with declining population and limited year‑round access for heavy industry.

Public speakers at the hearing opposed using state dollars where they could enable the proposed Copperwood copper mine. Jane Fitkin of Citizens for a Safe and Clean Lake Superior said the mine would produce a large tailings impoundment near Lake Superior and that opponents…