MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The state Department of Natural Resources says a company that was looking to open a huge iron mine in northern Wisconsin has officially withdrawn its plans. Gogebic Taconite was considering digging a 4½-mile long mine in the Penokee Hills just south of Lake Superior but announced last month it was closing its office in Hurley and future investment in the project wasn’t feasible. DNR officials announced Friday the company has withdrawn its pre-application notice. They said the land around the site will now reopen to the public. About 3,500 acres around the site is open to the public through the state’s managed forest program. Republican Gov. Scott Walker, however, signed a bill in 2013 that prohibited public access to 600-foot restricted zones around mining equipment and roads around the site.
