“Fault Lines” correspondent Josh Rushing travels to the farthest reaches of northern Wisconsin, 200 miles from the nearest major city. It’s a pristine landscape but underneath the natural beauty lies a coveted resource: two billion tons of iron ore.

In February 2013, the state senate passed a bill that loosened restrictions on iron mining, reversing 15 years of environmental regulation. The bill paves the way for West Virginia-based Gogebic Taconite (GTAC) to dig a $1.5 billion mine in the woods of the Penokee mountain range. “Fault Lines” follows the money that was crucial in getting the bill passed.

In this special edition of “Fault Lines,” we meet the players at the heart of the stand-off, visiting a century old family-owned dairy farm that could be impacted by the mine. We hike deep in the woods in the harshest of winters to spend time with the Chippewa tribes who have set up an education and resistance camp to oppose the mine. The Bad River Chippewa tribe, who have lived in the region for generations, raise concerns that acid mine drainage would contaminate the water, fish and wild rice on which they depend. And we meet Leslie Kolesar, Chairwoman of the Iron County Mining Impact Committee, who tells “Fault Lines” the mine would bring 700 desperately needed jobs to a region with high unemployment.