Although the PolyMet Mining, Inc. project near Hoyt Lakes in St. Louis County is 110 miles from the Cook County seat of Grand Marais, there are many on the North Shore keeping a close eye on the proposal. On March 3, 2016, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced that it has determined that the environmental impact statement (EIS) for PolyMet Mining, Inc.’s proposed NorthMet project meets the state’s standards for adequacy.
DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said the process leading to the completion of the state’s EIS has been “deliberative and thorough.” The DNR “systematically reviewed” all of the approximately 30,000 comments the agency received on the Final EIS and considered them in relation to three criteria—did the EIS analyze topics identified in scoping (which took place at the start of the process); does the EIS respond to comments received on the draft? And, finally did the DNR follow state statutes and rules in preparing the EIS?
“The environmental review process is about describing the potential environmental effects of the proposed NorthMet project,” Landwehr said. “We are confident this document has thoroughly examined the important environmental topics and has addressed them.”
The 3,500-page EIS has been DNR’s largest environmental review by several measures. The project has involved more than 90,000 hours of state staff time, the cost of which was reimbursed by PolyMet Mining. The supplemental draft EIS received the most comments ever–58,000–and about 4,000 people attended three public meetings in 2014.
“The public input process has been extraordinary and I want to thank everyone who provided comments,” Landwehr said. “The input has helped us produce a better document.”
The completion of the state Environmental Impact Statement process under the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act, but does not mean the NorthMet project can proceed to construction. According to the DNR, additional environmental analysis and evaluation will occur upon receipt of permit applications.
The project would need to receive more than 20 types of local, state and federal approvals and permits. In addition, both the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must still complete their records of decision. The Forest Service is expected to issue its final decision on the land exchange in late spring. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ process will take longer.
Permitting process
The proposed NorthMet project now moves forward to the permitting process. The DNR said at this point it has not received permit applications from the company so it is unable to estimate timelines for permit decisions.
Key permits include the permit to mine and dam safety permit from DNR and the water quality and air quality permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The permit to mine process evaluates many details of the proposed mine plan, including financial assurance. Financial assurance is the money a company must set aside to ensure essential environmental protections are funded in the event the company is unable or unwilling to implement those measures.
Each of the required permits would authorize specific activities related to the project and each has its own applicable rules and processes. All of the permits are necessary, but none is sufficient by itself.
“I can say that several of these permit applications will be quite complex and will require extensive work by the DNR and other state agencies,” Landwehr said.
About the NorthMet mine proposal
According to the Minnesota DNR, the proposed NorthMet mine project would be located in the St. Louis River watershed on the eastern edge of the Mesabi Iron Range, about six miles south of Babbitt and about one mile south of the existing iron-ore Northshore Mine. The ore would be processed at a former industrial site, the LTV plant in Hoyt Lakes.
The total project area would include an open pit mine, a processing plant, tailings basin and an existing seven-mile-long railroad corridor for ore transport between the mine and the processing plant. A proposed land exchange for the project involves 6,650 acres of federal land at the proposed mine site and 6,722 acres of non-federal land located in Lake and St. Louis counties.
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