Minnesota DNR Readies for Another Mining Lease Sale
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The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Monday said it’s planning an auction sale of state-owned metallic mineral leases for sites under 195,324 acres across northern Minnesota.
The DNR, based on company inquiries and geologic hunches on where valuable metals might be located, plans on offering state-owned mineral rights for lease in Beltrami, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods and St. Louis counties.
The proposal was published in the State Register Monday with public comments now accepted for 60 days. All of the leases are for so-called non-ferrous minerals such as copper, silver, gold and platinum.
The sale, expected this spring after public input, will be the state’s 35th metallic minerals lease sale and the second using a new process aimed at giving landowners and neighbors more notice and input. The changes came after many private landowners found out the mineral rights under their lands were owned by the state and were being offered to private companies to explore.
Nearly all of the lands being considered for the metallic minerals lease sale have been offered in previous lease sales, and many of them have been previously leased.
The sales are part of the DNR’s duty to promote mineral development in the state.
The winning bids from mining exploration companies must be approved by the state’s Executive Council — the governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state and state auditor.
• The areas under consideration for the sale can be seen HERE
• Areas under consideration can also be seen at Hibbing and St. Paul offices of the Division of Lands and Minerals. Interactive maps of the lands under consideration may also be viewed on the DNR website.
• Written public input may be sent to: Division of Lands and Minerals, Box 45, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4045
• Written public input may be emailed to: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Source: (January 30, 2017) Duluth News Tribune
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