Company to start drilling Wis. mine test holes
Gogebic Taconite to start drilling mine test holes in northwestern Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A company looking to open a massive iron mine in far northwestern Wisconsin says its test holes will range from a few hundred feet to a quarter-mile deep.
The state Department of Natural Resources approved Gogebic Taconite's exploratory drilling permit on May 30. The company sent the DNR a notice of intent via email on May 31 saying it plans to drill eight test holes ranging from 350 feet to 1,143 feet deep. Ann Coakley, director of the DNR's waste and materials management bureau, says it's not uncommon to see mining test holes of a quarter-mile depth and many such holes exist in Wisconsin already.
The company said in the notice it plans to begin drilling five days after the DNR receives the notice by registered mail. Coakley said Monday she was in the agency's Rhinelander office and wasn't sure if the document had arrived at the agency's Madison headquarters.
