News

Mesabi Daily News
November 7, 2009

In a story last Tuesday we reported that the 90-day public comment period had begun on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the PolyMet copper/nickel/precious metals project.

Our annual perspective story on K-12 enrollment throughout the region, which includes a graphic with student numbers for school districts each year of this decade, is on today's front page.

What do those stories have to do with each other? Plenty. The student enrollment loss throughout the region has been dramatic. And the only way to really stem the downturn is more families and kids in the area. The only way that happens is jobs, jobs and more jobs.

The PolyMet nonferrous mining venture, to be located within the footprint of the former LTV Mining Co. near Hoyt Lakes, would create 400 good-paying permanent jobs; hundreds more spin-off jobs; and 1.5 million hours of construction work.

Those are a lot of jobs that would provide paychecks for a lot of working men and women and their families. And that would most certainly mean more students in Iron Range schools.

PolyMet's investors have spent more than $20 million the last five years for environmental review of what would be the first nonferrous mining operation in Minnesota. That's a lot of money spent on a lot of environmental scrutiny. The result is the draft EIS.

Some environmental groups have already assailed the EIS. Gee, what a surprise. Those doing so without giving the document a fair assessment have one goal, and it's not to provide more jobs for families in the area. That goal is simply to try to blow up the project and other nonferrous initiatives to follow.

That's why it's so incredibly vital for the very future of the Iron Range that those in the area use the comment period to voice their support for this project that has received so much solid environmental review.

When the two public hearings on the project are held on Dec. 9 in Aurora and Dec. 10 in Blaine there needs to be an overwhelming show of support from the Range for this initiative.

We are sure that there will be a good turnout at the Aurora meeting. After all, It will be on the Range. But it is imperative that there is an organized effort to fill some buses for people to travel to the suburb of Blaine to rally for the project. There is no doubt that Twin Cities environmentalists will be there in big numbers for a hearing in their backyard to criticize a venture that would create much-needed jobs for the Range, the state and really the nation.

Here are the Web sites where the draft EIS is available:

· http://www.polymetmining.com/

· www.dnr.state.mn.us/input/environmentalreview/polymet/index.html.

We urge people to go to the two sites and make their views known.

It's about time that there is more economic news on the Range than mining layoffs and then reopenings with fewer workers. Or news of extension of jobless benefits.

It's about time the news is of a new project moving forward with hundreds of new jobs.

And then, hopefully, in the next few years the annual K-12 enrollment story will include some upticks in numbers at some Range school districts because the PolyMet mining project is up and running. And that will then mean other nonferrous projects that produce minerals needed in our everyday lives and also for a more "green" society will be advanced.