Mesabi Daily News
Rep. Rick Nolan
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Here’s the truth of the matter: Right here in Minnesota, we have the resources and capacity – better than perhaps anywhere in the world – to mine these strategic minerals and do it the right way. We have tremendous companies that are committed to creating good paying jobs for generations to come, and we have rigorous state and federal rules and regulations that protect our precious land, air and water. Needless to say, it is absolutely imperative that we continue to maintain and strengthen these environmental standards in the years to come, using all available science and technologies.
By way of example, the proposed Polymet project on the Iron Range has gone through twelve long years of rigorous approvals and reviews by numerous state and federal agencies, including the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and State Historic Preservation Office, the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Army Corps, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Environmental Protection Agency, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, as well as public hearings with Minnesota citizens and consultation with our Native American tribes.