STAFF WITH THE Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Forest Service meet with representatives of GreenLight Metals at the site of proposed drilling within the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. (Photo courtesy of GreenLight Metals, via Wisconsin Public Radio)

The CEO of a Canadian mining company has outlined goals to expand drilling for metals such as copper, gold and zinc at multiple sites in Wisconsin either this fall or early next year.

GreenLight Metals, which does business as Green Light Wisconsin, announced plans in April to drill for copper and gold at the Bend Deposit in Taylor County this summer. The deposit is believed to contain 4.2 million tons of mostly copper and gold.

Now, CEO Matt Filgate said in an investor webinar the company also hopes to explore the Reef, Swede, Lobo and Lobo East deposits in the near future. Filgate said the goal is to seek out permits and begin drilling early next year at the Reef deposit near Wausau and Lobo deposits near Crandon.

The Reef deposit is estimated to contain about 454,000 tons of gold, but the Lobo and Swede deposits have yet to be thoroughly explored. Filgate said the company is conducting geophysical surveys at the Swede deposit in Jackson County next week with a goal to begin drilling in September or October.

“We see an opportunity here to come back in and go explore for these critical metal deposits that the U.S. so desperately needs,” Filgate said.

Filgate has stressed the need for critical metals to support electrification and the shift away from fossil fuels, even as President Donald Trump has doubled down on coal and proposed cutting billions for renewable energy and electric vehicle chargers. Even so, Trump has sought to boost domestic mineral production with a goal of creating jobs and reducing foreign reliance on metals used for EVs and microprocessors.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has not received any information regarding the company’s plans beyond the Bend deposit, said Molly Gardner, the DNR’s metallic mining coordinator.

The company would need to submit a notice of intent to drill at those sites. She also suggested Green Light resubmit plans for the Reef deposit near Wausau since the company hasn’t responded to requests for additional information since 2022.

Gardner called the company’s proposed timelines ambitious.

“But not to say it can’t be done. They just need to get the ball rolling on some of those sites,” Garner said, noting agency review would take at least a few months.

The company’s plans may require various permits depending on the site. In the meantime, Filgate said the company plans to begin drilling at the Bend deposit near Medford in June even as the Lac du Flambeau tribe is challenging DNR approval of the company’s plan. Tribal officials didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Tribe says DNR violated state law by approving company’s plans

In March, the tribe petitioned for a contested case hearing and judicial review. The tribe said the DNR violated state law by granting a construction permit for stormwater without requiring a permit for an industrial facility. In its complaint, the tribe said the agency failed to consider the effects of industrial stormwater discharges on endangered species, wetlands and a historic site known as the Big and Little Indian Farms.

“The Bend Deposit is also surrounded by historic Indian trails and burial sites that overlap with the Bend Deposit itself and contain evidence as to the pre-colonial cultural practices of tribes in the area,” the complaint states. “The site holds great spiritual importance and is particularly vulnerable to damage from development in the area.”

The DNR denied the tribe’s request for a contested case hearing. Gardner said the company can drill at the site pending any stay on exploration activity. Lac du Flambeau has asked a Taylor County judge to reverse or send back the DNR’s approval.

If successful, Dave Blouin, mining committee chair for Sierra Club, said the challenge could result in stronger protections during exploration.

“Should Green Light demonstrate some success going forward here, showing that there is an economic model for mining these deposits, it could embolden them to do more exploration work at these other deposits,” Blouin said.

He noted the Lobo and Lobo East zinc and copper deposits are in the headwaters of the Wolf River, adding the Mole Lake Sokaogon Chippewa Community fought to prevent mining in the area. In 2003, the tribe along with the Forest County Potawatomi purchased the Crandon mine site and mining company for $16.5 million.

Opponents of the company’s plans say the company is just trying to boost its stock, saying it lacks sufficient financing for its plans. They add that sulfide mining risks acid mine drainage that would contaminate Wisconsin waterways.

“We want to bring mineral exploration and mining back to the state of Wisconsin, create a new industry, create jobs and do it efficiently, but do it in a way that is extremely environmentally sensitive,” Filgate said.

Filgate said the company has raised about $3.4 million in cash, including around $1 million in Canadian currency for drilling.

The company’s CEO said the repeal of the state’s sulfide mining moratorium has been key to moving projects forward. Metals such as copper and gold that occur in sulfide ore bodies haven’t been mined since the Flambeau mine shut down in 1997.

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Danielle Kaeding is a reporter who covers the environment, energy and northern Wisconsin for the Superior bureau of Wisconsin Public Radio.