8th District Congressman Rick Nolan recently came out in support of the state issuing a permit-to-mine to the Polymet Corporation. Polymet has spent $22 million over the last four years seeking permission to run an open pit mine near Babbitt on the Iron Range. The Canadian-based mining company plans to extract copper, nickel and other precious metals from the area over a period of 20 years. Critics warn that the type of mining proposed would potentially foul the water for many decades past the life of the mine, and worry that plants, animals and humans will be harmed because of the tainted water.
Polymet Mining Corporation’s controversial proposed open pit copper/nickel and precious metals mine near Babbitt cleared a major hurdle when it was notified on March 14, 2014 that it had received an EC-2 rating from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the company’s NorthMet Project supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The EC rating stands for environmental concerns.
A second bit of good news for the Canadian-based mining company came when Democratic 8th District Congressman Rick Nolan firmly endorsed the project.
“Beyond the direct and indirect jobs created, responsible development of the copper-nickel reserves of the Duluth Gabbro is also a serious strategic national priority,” Nolan wrote, adding, “Today the USA imports 100 percent of the nickel and over one-third of the copper needed in modern industry, critical to our national economic development as well as to our national defense.”
The congressman also said minerals mined by Polymet “are critical and essential to our modern computer, electronics, and communications industries. In addition these metals are essential for the development of green technologies that will improve our air quality, create energy independence for our nation, and reduce carbon emissions that threaten our climate worldwide.”
Polymet’s president and CEO John Cherry said, “This rating demonstrates the significant improvement PolyMet has made to the project in response to previous public and regulatory comments. The EPA review provides positive feedback and guidance to the co-lead agencies for enhancements to finalize the environmental review process.”
“We will continue to work with the co-lead agencies to ensure they receive additional data or information that might be required to address the EPA’s comments,” Cherry said.
Four years ago the EPA rejected Polymet’s first EIS because it failed to thoroughly address potential environmental and health concerns that could be caused by what some call sulfide mining.
When ore or waste product containing sulfide is exposed to air and moisture, a chemical reaction can create sulfuric acid. If not contained, that acid can drain into rivers, lakes, streams and ponds and contaminate the water and harm plants and animals.
While the news is favorable for Polymet, the EPA still has questions and concerns about how long the company will treat any contaminated water from the plant after it closes. And how will the Canadian-owned company provide financial assurances that the state won’t be on the hook to pay for any environmental cleanup once the company has left the area? Those questions will have to be answered before any minerals are taken from the ground.
To process minerals, Polymet plans to refurbish the old LTV Steel Mining plant located near Hoyt Lakes that was shuttered in 2001.
On March 13, Nolan sent a letter to Lisa Fay, EIS project manager of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, asking the state to issue the mining permit to Polymet.
“After a great deal of study and review, I am convinced the NorthMet Mining Project and Land Exchange proposal encompasses the state-ofthe art technologies necessary to protect our environment, promote health and safety, and create good paying jobs we need to assure the future of our region…” Nolan wrote.
Nolan went on to say, “The NorthMet project will be the first copper-nickel mine to develop a portion of the rich mineral deposits in the Duluth Gabro Complex. From all reports, this is the largest underdeveloped deposit of copper, nickel, and various other precious metals in the world. The SDEIS has demonstrated that the NorthMet Project can achieve an unprecedented goal of sulfate emissions of less than 10 mg/1, a standard that will in fact improve water quality of the nearby Embarrass River. The NorthMet project will re-use the former LTV taconite mine and plant, cleaning up this site and recycling valuable infrastructure.”
If the mine receives final permitting it will generate 500 construction jobs and 350 permanent jobs that will last 20 years in an area hit hard by unemployment.
None of this was lost on Nolan, who noted, “There are many thousands of additional jobs at stake in the future development of the Duluth Gabbro Complex which, if done correctly, promises an economic opportunity for the next 100 to 200 years.”
He wrote, “I urge the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the United States Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Forest Service as the primary co-lead agencies, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as a prime contributing agency, together with the major cooperating agencies including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Tribal Cooperating Agencies at Boise Forte, Grand Portage and Fond du Lac, together with all other responsible agencies and move forward with final modifications and to adoption of the Final EIS in a timely manner.
“I also urge all responsible agencies to issue the Permit to Mine, complete the land transfers proposed, issue the necessary supplemental permits, and permit the NorthMet Project to proceed at the earliest possible date.”
The state closed its 90-day public comment period on Polymet’s EIS on March 13. More than 49,000 comments were received, by far the most the state has ever gotten on a project.
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