St. Paul, Minn. (September 4, 2020) – Jobs for Minnesotans released the below statement following yesterday’s Ramsey County District Court ruling regarding PolyMet’s Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) water quality permit procedures. The ruling found no irregularities in the MPCA procedure that issued the PolyMet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit on Dec. 20, 2018:

“We are happy to see the Court reject allegations of efforts to keep evidence out of the record. The ruling is a positive step forward for the PolyMet project after now 15 years of regulatory review. While the project is currently in the expected litigation phase and has outstanding court challenges, Jobs for Minnesotans firmly stands behind the project’s record and the dedicated MPCA professionals who spent years evaluating this project. We are confident PolyMet’s NPDES permit will be upheld by all courts.”

“The PolyMet project will help bring recovery to a region that is experiencing severe economic disparities and the highest unemployment rates in the state. The project is expected to provide 360 family-sustaining jobs and generate an estimated $515 million annually.

“The project will also help power growth of a more diverse regional and statewide economy as the first company to mine essential metals from the world-class Duluth Complex. The metals that will be safely and responsibly mined are critical not only to an expanding green economy, but also to the infrastructures we have in place for reliable power and broadband communications networks.”

About Jobs for Minnesotans

Jobs for Minnesotans, a coalition representing business, labor and communities, supports statewide opportunities for prosperity and middle-class jobs from sustainable natural resource development in Minnesota. The organization is committed to the principle that our state can preserve both job opportunities and the environment for future generations. Jobs for Minnesotans was co-founded in 2012 by the Minnesota Building and Construction Trades Council representing 55,000 workers and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce representing 2,300 companies and 500,000 employees. For more information, visit jobsforminnesotans.org, follow @JobsforMN on Twitter and find the coalition on Facebook.com/Jobs4MN.

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Media Contact: Nancy Norr, Board Chair
nnorr@mnpower.com
218.590.6978