Committee approves sending 30-year lease amendment with Detroit Salt Company to formal review

The Detroit City Council standing committee on March 19 voted to send to formal a proposed 30-year lease amendment with the Detroit Salt Company that would extend and expand the company’s rights to mine salt beneath city-owned property.

Administration staff said the lease, amended previously in 2006, would permit access to additional underground salt and expand mining potential; the city could receive lease and mineral revenue the administration estimated at roughly $8.9 million over 30 years. John Truong of the Housing Revitalization Department told the committee the city has received lease payments since 1999 and that the proposed amendment would add revenue streams tied to access and mined salt sales.

Anna Fishman, identified for the record as senior corporate counsel for Detroit Salt, and other company representatives described the firm’s method and safety procedures. Fishman said the operation uses a room-and-pillar approach "called the room and pillar mining method" and that the company does not blast, asserting the method has "basically no surface impact." A Detroit Salt representative said the mine has operated under the city for more than a century and is federally regulated by the Mine Safety and Health Administration.

Committee members pressed staff and the company about surface safety and subsidence monitoring. A Detroit Salt representative said ongoing site monitoring and industry-standard mining methods have historically avoided surface disturbance; staff added that the city’s public works division and city engineers conduct inspections to confirm there are no foundation or subsidence issues.

Councilmember Gabriela Santiago Romero, who represents District 6, described a recent site visit and encouraged other members to observe operations firsthand. After discussion about revenue, oversight and monitoring responsibilities, the committee moved the lease amendment to formal with a recommendation to approve; the motion carried with no objections recorded on the record.

The next step is formal committee review; the lease amendment includes a contract period through Dec. 31, 2055 under the terms presented to the standing committee.