Sulfide Mining. Ilyaas Farah. E-mail submissions must include a full name and legal mailing address. Metallic sulfide mining is a Midwest US term for hardrock mining for metals in sulfur-bearing rock, as differentiated from coal, iron ore, or gravel extraction. Those making this claim point to the continued existence of the taconite mining industry during the Sulfide Mining should be rejected. In the case of PolyMet, MCEA has led the fight for accountability and true science-based . The agency may be on track to make the same decision regarding proposed sulfide mines in northern Minnesota—20 years of sulfide mining jobs isn't worth 2,000 years of poisoned waterways and . Sept. 6, 2019. Antofagasta later purchased Duluth Metals in its entirety, assuming 100% ownership. Pollution from sulfide mining is nearly impossible to contain and can last for hundreds, even thousands of years. One of these, the PolyMet Mining Corporation, has been locked in a battle to open Minnesota's first copper-sulfide mine near the tiny town of Babbitt for over 17 years. Class of 2022 Celebrates Valedictorians and Salutatorians. Class of 2022 Celebrates Valedictorians and Salutatorians. Science Curriculum to change for the 22-23 school year. Minnesota 's traditional iron ore mining and sulfide mining . ALL STORIES. Sulfide mining isn't your grandfather's iron mining. But these leases remained, and eventually sprang to life as Twin Metals Minnesota. Navigate Left. On July 18, 2019, Twin Metals Minnesota suddenly announced it would use dry stacking for tailings waste at its proposed copper-nickel sulfide mine adjacent to Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA).. but we must also recognize that the immediate need for jobs in Northern Minnesota is real. The environmental risks are much different from Minnesota's traditional iron ore mining. A change to these laws could ban sulfide mining in the Rainy River Headwaters. However, additional proposals for sulfide mines will soon follow. There are two things you can do right now to help protect some of Minnesota's waters from copper sulfide mining. . Mission: To protect Minnesota's human and natural communities from adverse effects of mining. . Opponents of a proposed mining project in northern Minnesota say they have collected over 12,600 signatures from all 87 Minnesota counties, demanding transparency from the mining companies and Minnesota's governor to protect the environment and taxpayer money. Metallic sulfide mining is the process of extracting metals such as nickel, gold, and copper from sulfide-rich ore. After extracting metal from the rock, the waste . Any decisions regarding the mining of sulfide ores in northeast Minnesota will impact the next 25 generations. Megan Noetzel. . Science Curriculum to change for the 22-23 school year. If waste from the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely . Two Opportunities to Help Stop Sulfide Mining in Northeastern Minnesota. The U.S. Forest Service has recently opposed renewing the Twin Metals mining leases. Truly, Gaelynn Lea. Dr. Lee Frelich took time out of his busy schedule to come to Ely July 21, 2015. [12] Conservation Minnesota, et al. Minnesotans and Americans across the country celebrated last month when the Biden administration announced that it applied for a 20-year moratorium on copper-sulfide mining on 225,000 acres of federal land surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.. For almost a decade, proposed copper-sulfide mining near the Boundary Waters has been one of the biggest environmental fights in the . There have been at least three waves of interest in copper-nickel sulfide mining in Minnesota, all coinciding with commodities price bubbles. Sulfide Mining Fact Sheet Sulfide Mining and Minnesota's Wild Rice Sulfate Standard Impact of Mining on Sulfate Levels in Minnesota The type of pollution that comes from sulfide mining is particularly dangerous to wild rice. We have been working for over 40 years on the threat posed by sulfide mining proposals, including PolyMet and Twin Metals. 1 Types of copper sulfide ore. (1) Single copper mineral Its ore characteristic is relatively simple, and the only useful component that can be recycled is copper. The past week has presented a crazy wave of both good and bad news for Minnesota's recent endangered rivers— the St. Louis River (listed in 2015) and the Boundary Waters (listed in 2013). Pros And Cons Of Sulfide Mining. Featured artist: Ojibwe artist Jim Denomie . Polymet Mining and Twin Metals Minnesota are proposing to operate coppernickel mines in hard rock formations composed of sulfide ores. One of these, the PolyMet Mining Corporation, has been locked in a battle to open Minnesota's first copper-sulfide mine near the tiny town of Babbitt for over 17 years. On October 20th, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a public engagement process as they consider the request from the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) to consider a 20-year . . To personalize COVID, Athraigh . Sulfide mining is the process of removing copper, nickel, and other metals from sulfide ores. . By: Jamison L. Tessneer Minnesota has an extensive history of mining. But these leases remained, and eventually sprang to life as Twin Metals Minnesota. 6132 ("Nonferrous Metallic Mineral Mineland The risks are just too high to bring Sulfide Mining to Minnesota. Sulfide-ore mining for copper and nickel, however, has never been attempted here. PolyMet — which has proposed cheap and outmoded designs for its operations — will be no different. WHAT IS THE THREAT? Two Opportunities to Help Stop Sulfide Mining in Northeastern Minnesota. If you are in Minnesota, please ask Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith to protect the Boundary Waters by introducing a companion bill in the Senate. Chanhassen, MN 55317. Metallic sulfide mining is the practice of extracting metals from a sulfide ore body. A 30-day public comment period is open until December 8, 2021! sulfide mining proposals. On June 19, Emmer and Nolan brought in U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona and Bruce Westerman of Arkansas to push for a sulfide-ore copper mine at the doorstep to Minnesota's Boundary Waters . The term sulfide mining is a lightning rod. ALL STORIES. 1-31-16. They take oxygen from the water and pump it out through their roots to interfere in the chemical reaction that produces sulfide. The court found that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources was required to subject PolyMet's mining plan to a contested . Monoprint with oil pastel . ALL STORIES. Minnesota has a long history of iron-ore mining. Jason Kang, Content Editor | January 12, 2015. On . Word count: 501. Scoping of potential impacts of Cu-Ni exploration and mining in sulfide ores are presented . The minerals are used primarily to create wiring and electronics for everything from power plants to cellphones.. Minnesota has some of the largest deposits of copper and nickel in the world, according to Mining Minnesota, an advocacy group made up of lobbyists and industry leaders dedicated to . Native plants like wild rice and other rooted aquatic vegetation have special strategies to fend off sulfide. Legislation introduced recently by Rep. Alice Hausman and Sen. Jim Carlson would go a long way toward ensuring that Minnesota doesn't suffer the same fate that other states have from sulfide mining. The press release declared, "It [dry stacking] has been successfully used in four mines in the northern United States and Canada with similar climates to Minnesota and has . Tell the Forest Service and the Governor, protect Minnesota's waters and . 1711-60. Box 845. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, three iron ranges in northern Minnesota became the underpinning… Minnesota sulfide mining vs The Ojibwe. The Status of Copper Nickel Sulfide Mining in Minnesota Thursday, December 2, 2021 7 - 8 pm via Zoom . The U.S. Forest Service needs to nix the Twin Metals leases, and the PolyMet land exchange as well. He gave two talks, on on Climate Change and Invasive species at the Ely Tuesday group and one at VCC that evening on the effects of Sulfide Mining on the Boundary Waters, sponsored […] December 2, 2021. Beginning in the nineteenth century, mining in Minnesota focused on limestone and to a limited extent, gold. Goals: We are currently focused on safeguarding Minnesotans from sulfide mining proposals, such as PolyMet and Twin Metals. Sulfide Mining Regulation in the Great Lakes Region: A comparative analysis of sulfide mining regulation in Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario (PDF) - 2012. A copper mine in the Boundary Waters watershed will pollute the Wilderness for generations to come, causing irreversible harm to water quality, wildlife, public health, and a sustainable outdoor recreation-based economy. Megan Noetzel. Two mining corporations, Polymet Mining and Twin Metals LLC, are intending to perform this type of mining in Northern Minnesota just out. "Simply put, Minnesota should not be a guinea pig for this type of mining," he said. Proposed sulfide-ore copper mining threatens these waters and forests. Minnesotans love Lake Superior, the Boundary Waters, North Shore, and all of Northern Minnesota—and we are deeply concerned about proposals to develop copper/nickel (also called sulfide ore) mining in the region including PolyMet and Twin Metals. But that defense can only go so far. "Copper-sulfide mining has a perfect record of polluting," said Chris Knopf, director of Friends of the Boundary Waters, which is backing the legislation. Over 150,000 people have now died from COVID - 19. Clean Water. Despite its almost mythical place in the state's history and culture, mining accounts for just 0.02% of Minnesota's current employment. There has never been a sulfide mine in Minnesota, but recent advances in ore processing technology means that, for the first time ever, our state's low-grade sulfide ore could be mined profitably." - Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness She says that experience will help inform environmental reviews of any sulfide mining proposals. 1- Update Minnesota's Laws to Protect our Waters from the Dangers of Sulfide Mining. 2. The Sierra Club's Clyde Hanson used the occasion to draw . In 2010, Canadian junior mining company Duluth Metals announced a joint venture with Chilean mining giant Antofagasta. Other sulfide mines are planned for the near future in the . The $1 billion project . Antofagasta later purchased Duluth Metals in its entirety, assuming 100% ownership. According to the EPA, sulfide mining is part of the most toxic industry in the country. Sulfide Mining District planned for Minnesota's Arrowhead Region The First: PolyMet's NorthMet proposal. However, Minnesota is predominantly known for its iron ore mining. ALL STORIES. Now imagine being interrupted by the loud, ongoing sounds of drilling and being told the fish were too dangerous to eat. A change to these laws could ban sulfide mining in the Rainy River Headwaters. These are not Minnesota's traditional iron ore and taconite mines, but a new type of toxic producing mine which would extract minerals from sulfide ores. Paula Maccabee, advocacy director and counsel for Water Legacy, a nonprofit founded to oppose sulfide mining in northern Minnesota, argues that, on a regulatory level, few lessons have been . The mining of copper/nickel sulfide ores is a toxic type of mining that is risky to our environment, our workers and communities, and local economies. During June PolyMet Mining's preliminary final Environmental Impact Statement (PFEIS) was completed (for its proposed sulfide mine in northeastern Minnesota), and PolyMet's CEO Jon Cherry said . This type of mining has unacceptable health and environmental risks in such a water-rich area and poses a serious threat to our waters and to the ecosystems of the Rainy . Sulfide-ore copper mining is a dirty business. Clean Water. . ALL STORIES. Sulfide Mining. With two copper-nickel sulfide mining projects in progress in northeastern Minnesota, Voyageurs National Park Association stands opposed to proposed sulfide-ore copper mining. ALL STORIES. Mining for copper, nickel and other heavy metals is often referred to as "sulfide mining," because these metals are found bonded to sulfur in sulfide ores. In 2010, Canadian junior mining company Duluth Metals announced a joint venture with Chilean mining giant Antofagasta. Minnesota's three primary watersheds - the Lake Superior, Rainy River (Boundary Waters) and Mississippi River Basins all face threats from sulfide mining. Backers of the bill say it has 64 supporters in the Legislature, mostly in the DFL-controlled House. This type of mining produces acid mine drainage in a self-perpetuating reaction that releases toxic heavy metals for 500 years . December 2, 2021. The PolyMet (Glencore) NorthMet copper-nickel mine in the Lake Superior watershed is Minnesota's first proposed sulfide mine. "Frequently Asked Questions about Sulfide Mining in Minnesota . Toast Series. Some sulfide mining proponents say: "As long as we have need for pennies, electronics, copper wire in buildings and homes and everything else that uses copper … there will be a need for the metal and the mines that produce the ore. . Currently, the BWCA is being threatened by sulfide-ore mining, a process that will cause catastrophic problems to the ecosystem and the economy. While the state has a history of iron mining, sulfide mining has never been conducted in Minnesota Trout Unlimited. Copper-nickel mining exposes sulfide ores to water and air, releasing sulfuric acid. In the 1970's, burgeoning interest in copper mining led the State of Minnesota to conduct a number of studies and look at environmental and tax laws that would be needed if copper mines were opened. Sulfide Mining: Process and Price (PDF). §§ 93.44-93.51 and their implementing regulations, Minn. Rules Ch. There is a potential for sulfide mining to make a return to the area. Sulfide Mining Pros And Cons. Sulfide Ore Mining in Minnesota. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Ann Foss says it's difficult to solve an unexpected problem, but the experience at Dunka has taught the agency a lot about how sulfide rock reacts when exposed to air and water. N2 - Sulfide mining (specifically copper-nickel sulfide mining) represents a significant departure from Minnesota's iron mining tradition. Space Force Comes Back With Second Season. She says the traditional beds across Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois have seen a 30 percent reduction in size. That will increase the level of sulfate in the overlying surface waters. Ojibwe artist Jim Denomie . Sulfide mining in a water-rich environment, like that of northern Minnesota, has a track record of 100 percent failure to protect water quality. The $1 billion project . The agency may be on track to make the same decision regarding proposed sulfide mines in northern Minnesota—20 years of sulfide mining jobs isn't worth 2,000 years of poisoned waterways and . 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