Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Duluth, and state Rep. Dale Lueck, R-Aitkin, applauded the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to issue its Section 404 wetlands permit and Record of Decision for the NorthMet Project, the final permit needed to begin development of northeastern Minnesota's natural resources.
"This decision is excellent news as PolyMet now holds all necessary permits to construct and operate a project bringing prosperity to our region for decades," Stauber stated in a news release. "Families in northeastern Minnesota have been waiting fourteen years, throughout the longest environmental review in our state's history, for PolyMet to begin mining the NorthMet ore body. This project will create hundreds of jobs and generate millions of dollars in revenue for improvement of our infrastructure and schools.
"This decision marks a major moment in our state's mining history as PolyMet will become the first company on the Iron Range to mine copper, nickel and other precious metals critical to meeting our manufacturing, national security, and infrastructure needs," continued Stauber in the release. "I look forward to seeing every community across northeastern Minnesota enjoy the opportunities this mine will create."
Lueck echoed Stauber's support of the decision by the Corps.
"Completion of the federal Section 404 wetland permit was the last of 18 state and federal detailed environmental permits necessary for this project to move forward," Lueck stated in a news release. "This is a good day for the environment across the world, clearing the path to producing copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, gold and cobalt under very strict environmental regulations here in Minnesota. That is in contrast to importing these important minerals from other parts of the world that do not follow Minnesota's strict environmental regulations."
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According to a ruling by the Corps, "The permit authorizes the discharge of dredged and fill material into 901 acres, and indirect impacts to 27 acres, of waters of the United States in association with the construction and development of the NorthMet mine, which is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota. The applicant purchased 1,278 credits from the Lake Superior Wetland Bank to offset wetland loss.
"Compared with PolyMet Mining's original proposal, the permitted alternative avoids impacts to 500 acres of wetlands at the mine site and incorporates measures to minimize impacts to important ecological resources."
Prior support for PolyMet
According to a study done by the University of Minnesota, Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics, each year of the NorthMet project's life will bring $515 million to St. Louis County alone.
Long a supporter of the PolyMet project, Stauber introduced the Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act, a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would codify a land exchange of approximately 6,650 acres of federally owned surface land above and around the NorthMet ore body to PolyMet and 6,690 acres of private land to the U.S. Forest Service.
According to the release, Lueck stated he began closely following the environmental review process related to copper-nickel mining in Minnesota long before he was elected to the Minnesota Legislature five years ago. He said his interest was sparked while serving on the Aitkin County Board of Commissioners, when it was first learned a significant copper-nickel deposit exists in northern Aitkin County.
"That concern to make sure we do this correctly has included visits to other mining sites where that type of mining has taken place, and several visits to look firsthand at what is planned at the Polymet project," Lueck said.
Lueck also is a member and past chair of the Legislative Permanent School Trust Commission that oversees many thousands of acres of school trust land containing taconite, copper, nickel and many other important minerals. Revenue from school trust land mineral leases and royalties are deposited into the permanent school trust fund. The annual interest from that fund is distributed to the K-12 public schools across Minnesota on a per-student basis.
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