Minnesota Issues Draft Permits for Proposed PolyMet Mine
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The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has signed off on the draft air-pollution emissions permit for the proposed $650 million PolyMet copper-nickel mine project near Babbitt in far northern Minnesota.
The PCA has posted the draft permit on its website and will take public comments on it in coming weeks.
The move essentially means the agency agrees with the company’s plan to remain within legal limits for air emissions, and sets conditions on how the company must meet state and federal air-pollution regulations.
It’s the last of three major permits for the project to be made public. The PCA last week posted the draft water-quality permit for the public and the DNR has released the draft permit-to-mine that regulates mining activities.
Public hearings on all three permits will be held Feb. 7 in Aurora and Feb. 8 in Duluth.
“We are delighted to see the last of the major state permits we have applied for released as draft permits by the state,” said Jon Cherry, PolyMet CEO. “It has been a long and difficult road, and we look forward to receiving the agencies’ final decisions on these permits.”
Polymet is proposing the mine near Babbitt with a processing center near Hoyt Lakes employing some 300 people. Supporters say it will help diversify the regional economy while critics say tainted mining runoff could spoil local waterways.
Source: Forum News Services
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