Big secretive operation in the Upper Peninsula

There isnt any need for newpapers up here, sooner or later we always figure out whats going on.
Couple years ago, for the first time in decades, the govt. gives the 'Soo' locks money for "maintainence", without us even requesting it.

Under the cover of covid, large earth moving equipment and so on is brought in to the beautiful west end of the UP by Iron Mt.

A Coast Guard guy tells my cousin the locks are actually being modified at tax-payers expense, to be dredged really deep and wide for extra large ore boats, Ocean-going type.

Geology student tells me they discovered a rare ore/mineral up by Iron mt, only found in a place in Africa.

I know what with the long winters, alot of GLPers live up here and read this: So what have you heard, whats going on. These XL vessels will dump bilge holdings in our lake etc and mining destroys our environment. Our UP was plundered for gold, silver, copper so plentiful chunks of it the size of a small car were laying on top of the earth...uranium, iron ore and the rare copper/gold all were here at one time.