News

Duluth News Tribune
December 11, 2009

The state’s political forces are lining up in support of the PolyMet copper mining project proposed for Minnesota’s Iron Range. The barrage from all points of the spectrum coincides with public input meetings held this week in Aurora and Blaine.

Both of the state’s U.S. senators and the region’s representative in Congress voiced strong support this week for the project as state regulators take public comments on the project’s environmental review. Democrats Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken released letters of support for what would be Minnesota’s first-ever copper mine, as did Rep Jim Oberstar, DFL-Chisholm.

Several labor unions and the Minnesota and Duluth Area Chambers of Commerce joined in the outpouring of support for PolyMet.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are conducting the environmental review. Theoretically, the support of lawmakers should have no more effect on the process than comments made by the general public, who have until Feb. 3 to weigh in on the mining project.

“PolyMet will help diversify the economy of the iron ore-dependent Range, and will help meet our nation’s domestic demand for copper, nickel, platinum, cobalt, gold and palladium,’’ Franken wrote to the DNR. “Most importantly, this project offers a real opportunity to put Northeastern Minnesota citizens back to work.’’

Meanwhile, PolyMet also has the benefit of two former state pollution regulators on the job.

Brad Moore, who last year served as commissioner of the Pollution Control Agency and who now works for Minneapolis-based Barr Engineering, is working in support of the project. Duluthian Ann Glumac, now a private consultant, also is working on behalf of PolyMet. Glumac is a former deputy PCA commissioner and has held other state posts.

PolyMet hopes to build Minnesota’s first open-pit copper mine near Babbitt and use the former LTV taconite plant near Hoyt Lakes to process copper and other precious metals. The project would create about 400 jobs for 20 years. Opponents say the risk of sulfuric acid runoff from mining operations, which could cause heavy metals to leech into local waterways, is too high.

For more information, or to comment, go to www.mndnr.gov.