After federal involvement, it came out that the Ojibwe were not only concerned with the safety of the tracks but with the mining project as a whole. On August 2, 1996, Justice Department mediator John Terronez arrived on the scene and began negotiations with parties involved in the dispute. During these talks, Bresette and the Ogichidaa revealed their deep concerns over the solution mining and its potential effect on Lake Superior. Furthermore, they insisted the project was illegal because the EPA had given it approval without consulting affected Indian tribes who as sovereign entities were entitled to be involved in the process. An agreement was reached with the protestors agreeing to end the blockade in exchange for an EPA inquiry into the project. In September, the EPA announced they would be holding a meeting regarding this potential mining project, and were in favor of the mining. The trains hauled the acid through the reservation and the protestors switched their focus to the mine itself. However, once the EPA looked closer, it raised enough questions that, on October 14, Inmet suspended its operations, citing the extended amount of time the EPA's Environmental Analysis would take, and the uncertain future of the mine. In the face of legal battles over treaty rights, the company withdrew its mining permit application the next spring. Following its additional research, the EPA was able to announce with certainty that the railroads in Wisconsin were up to their standards, but the sulfuric acid shipments had already been discontinued.