Hibbing Daily Tribune
Nathan Bergstedt
At the Itasca County Board of Commissioners meeting on Tuesday, May 26, Commissioner Rusty Eichorn addressed the rest of the board regarding a resolution drafted by the Northeast Minnesota Office of Job Training, giving support for the proposed Polymet Mining NorthMet Project near the community of Hoyt Lakes. The board voted unanimously in favor of the resolution.
The resolution stressed the importance of the nonferrous ores that would be sought by the mining project, namely copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium, and gold, because of their utility in many modern products like cell phones, computers, and wind turbines. There is currently a very high demand for these metals that has far outgrown what recycling can provide. A study by the University of Minnesota Duluth Labovitz School of Business noted that nonferrous mining in Minnesota could annually bring $515 million in wages to workers in St. Louis County alone.