News

Mesabi Daily News
November 15, 2009

Those who are against copper/nickel/precious metals mining on the Iron Range have made their intentions quite clear just days after the draft Environmental Impact Statement comment period kicked in for the PolyMet project.

They have no desire to give open-minded consideration to the EIS that took five years to formulate at a cost of more than $20 million. And they obviously have some deep pockets outside the area to tap for unconditional support.

A film that portrays the PolyMet mining project near Hoyt Lakes as a threat to clean water for the area. The move - "Precious Waters: Minnesota's Sulfide Mining Controversy," was shown last week in the Twin Cities area. Here's the coalition of groups that has made the film possible:

Sierra Club North Star Chapter, Midwest Mountaineering, Piragis Northwoods Co., Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Friends of the Cloquet Valley State Forest.

They, of course, claim a significant threat to the long-term preservation of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Never mind there is no proof at all to back up such allegations.

Why not let the draft EIS review run its course; allow the public to have its say with various opinions; and let those who know what they are doing evaluate all of the environmental work done over the past few years? Why raise false fears based on sulfide mining elsewhere in vastly different geographical locations and without the aid of today's more modern technology?

There will be two public hearings on the project, one Dec. 9 in Aurora, the other Dec. 10 in Blaine. We will say each and every week from now until those hearings that there needs to be an overwhelming show of support from the Range for this initiative.

This project and other nonferrous ventures in the planning stages are critical to the economic future of the Range. The PolyMet project alone will create 400 new good-paying permanent jobs along with hundreds more spin-off jobs; and 1.5 million hours of construction work.

That means paychecks for families; money to be spent in Iron Range communities; and taxes generated locally for the state and the country. And doing so all the while important metals needed for a more "green" nation are produced.

Yet on a panel last week in the Twin Cities was a nemesis for this project and for jobs on the Range - state Rep. Alice Hausman, an author of legislation going after nonferrous mining.

So where are all area legislators acting together with a strongly-worded statement on behalf of the Iron Range Legislative Delegation in support of nonferrous mining? And where is a similar statement from Iron Range Resources Commissioner Sandy Layman?

Yes, they have all in some form in the past voiced support for such mining, but where are they now?

The delegation has had some big rifts in recent years with personality clashes. But this is about the very future of the Iron Range. It's an issue much bigger and important than any one lawmaker.

Other legislators in the state have often marveled at how Range legislators can be a formidable united group in St. Paul. It's definitely time now for that unity to surface on the Range and statewide regarding nonferrous mining.

And that should also go for Duluth legislators. They need to get behind this project big time. It was iron ore mining on the Range that drove the economy of Duluth. So Duluth legislators, step up now for another era of Iron Range mining.

What an impressive sight it would be for a combined news conference attended by all Range legislators, lawmakers from Duluth and the IRR commissioner and her boss, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in support of nonferrous mining. That would show a lot of political backbone.

Enough of any squabbles, whether DFL vs. GOP or intra-party DFL. There's too much at stake here folks.