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The footprint of a massive iron mine proposed for northern Wisconsin may be shrinking as Gogebic Taconite considers avoiding what it considers hostile territory.

An Ashland County mining ordinance and statements made by a county elected official have caused the company to consider leaving about a third of the roughly 4-mile-long ore deposit in the ground, spokesman Bob Seitz said Thursday.

The 2013 ordinance would require Gogebic Taconite to pay county costs of hiring scientists to evaluate the extensive environmental studies the company will submit when it applies for a county mining permit.

“We’ve let them know that the ordinance makes it not viable to mine there,” Seitz said.

Seitz said there was no limit under the ordinance on the amount of money the company might be forced to pay.

But county administrator Jeff Beirl said the measure only allows payments for experts who would be brought in before a permit were issued.

The experts would give county leaders an unbiased explanation of the highly technical scientific studies, he said.