News

Duluth News Tribune
October 28, 2009

Minnesota's first copper mine is a step closer to reality this morning after the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a long-awaited environmental review to the public.

The draft environmental impact statement, more than four years in the making, aims to explain how the proposed PolyMet "NorthMet" copper mine and processing center could operate within state and federal environmental rules and regulations.

The environmental report is open to public comments before the DNR and Corps make finishing touches. The company then must apply for and obtain permits for water and air pollution and to dig a mine at the site.

PolyMet is proposing Minnesota's first copper mine that also would produce nickel, platinum and other valuable metals. The site of the proposed open-pit mine is near Babbitt, while the company would use the former LTV Steel taconite plant near Hoyt Lakes as a processing center.

The $600 million project would create 400 or more jobs for more than 20 years, digging and processing billions of dollars of high-value minerals. The project is seen as a critical step toward diversifying the Iron Range's dependence on iron-ore mining and is the first of what could be a half-dozen or more copper mines stretching from the Ely area to Aitkin County.

But several environmental groups, tribal agencies, Northland residents and even the federal Environmental Protection Agency have been critical of the proposal because of the long history of pollution at other copper mines worldwide.

Opponents say sulfuric acid runoff, which occurs when sulfur-bearing rocks are exposed to air and water, could damage waterways in the area for centuries to come. Other concerns include wetland and habitat loss and an increase in toxic mercury in local waters.

Company officials say, and the environmental impact statement proposes, that the rock in the proposed mine area is unusually low in sulfur for a copper deposit. They also contend that they can use new technology to minimize acid runoff and treat any that occurs.

The draft environmental impact statement, a review of all the possible environmental issues surrounding the project, is considered critical because it not only sets up the scenario for how PolyMet may move forward but is expected to set precedent for a half-dozen or more additional copper mine proposals possible in coming years from Babbitt to Aitkin County.

After public comments and revisions by the DNR and Corps of Engineers, the environmental review will become final and the company is expected to apply for permits to mine and to create air and water pollution.

In addition, PolyMet, while it owns mineral rights to the mine site, still does not own the property where the mine would be located. The company is in the process of a land trade with the U.S. Forest Service. But the company must first secure an equal value of private land within the Superior National Forest to trade for the mine. That could take many more months.

•The draft environmental impact statement report on the proposed PolyMet copper mine can be seen at the DNR Web site.

•Public comments will be accepted by the DNR and Corps of Engineers beginning Monday. It's not yet clear how long comments will be accepted.

For more information, contact Stuart Arkley, EIS Project Manager, Minnesota DNR, 500 Lafayette Rd., St. Paul, MN, 55155-4025; e-mail environmentalrev.dnr@state.mn.us or call (651) 259-5089. Be sure to include "NorthMet" in the subject line of e-mails.