Mesabi Daily News
Bill Hanna
The St. Louis County Board voted 6-0 Tuesday for a resolution against a far-reaching Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Superior National Forest at a meeting that turned rambunctious with outbursts by mining opponents.
The meeting drew about 70 people equally split on the issue.
County Commissioner Keith Nelson called for a break in the session for decorum and some police presence.
“I asked for law enforcement so that everyone would be treated with respect. I was concerned about the atmosphere in the room. All of them (copper/nickel/precious metals opponents) were allowed their five minutes to speak to the board. But as soon as we started to speak they became disrespectful,” said Nelson, who had pushed for a County Board roll call vote on the resolution.