Counterpoint: Mining Opponents Ignore Facts, History and People
Star Tribune
Larry Musich
Ely was founded as a mining town. The Lake Vermilion gold rush brought many pioneers to the area in 1865. Although hardly any gold was found, it was discovered that the area did contain large deposits of iron ore. Thousands of new immigrants came to America at this time. Soon they came to the Minnesota Iron Range looking for work.
Those opposed to mining have no interest in these historical facts. But it was the miners and their families who made Ely thrive, which allowed businesses to develop like Ace Hardware, barbershops, drug stores, Penney’s, Wards, Sears, etc. — and even Canoe Country Outfitters!
Read More: http://www.startribune.com/counterpoint-mining-opponents-ignore-facts-history-and-people/408862225/
Duluth News Tribune
John Swanson (Vice President of Major Projects Execution for Enbridge)
A Dec. 11 commentary in the News Tribune by Winona LaDuke (Native View: “Enbridge must be held accountable in northern Minnesota”) contained several misstatements and inaccuracies about Enbridge that deserve clarification.
Enbridge’s Line 3 Replacement Project provides a vital link between North American production regions and Minnesota, Wisconsin and other North American refinery markets. Enbridge proposes replacing Line 3 to maintain high safety standards and to reduce future maintenance activities that result in disruptions to landowners and the environment. The line undergoes systematic preventative maintenance activities and inspections to ensure safe operation, and these activities will continue until the new line is put into service. To suggest we need to “clean up” the “old” Line 3 is patently false.
Commentary: Enbridge Meeting Coverage Lacking in Context
The Bemidji Pioneer
Shannon Gustafson (Communications Supervisor for Enbridge)
I’m writing in response to the Bemidji Pioneer’s coverage of an Enbridge event on Dec. 13 (“‘You couldn’t hear, you couldn’t sit’) to provide additional perspective of events that evening.
While it is true that activists were asked to leave the event following disruptive outbursts, including threatening behavior and obscene language that interrupted the meeting, the story neglected to provide context for why the meeting was held.
Read More: http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/opinion/4186605-commentary-enbridge-meeting-coverage-lacking-context
Jobs for Minnesotans, Klobuchar Object to Twin Metals Ruling
BusinessNorth
Staff
Jobs for Minnesotans – a coalition representing business, labor and communities – has released a strong objection to the federal decision that mineral leases near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), formerly held by Twin Metals Minnesota, will not be renewed.
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar also released a statement saying that Mesabi Range mining decisions should be based on traditional environmental reviews, not rule-making by the Departments of Agriculture and Interior.
Our View: Twin Metals Ruling Cheats Public, Process
Duluth News Tribune
Editorial Board
Here’s how you’d expect this to work, based on longstanding practice, our laws, and the rules and regulations we all agree to follow, lest we fall into chaos otherwise.
An entity identifies the presence of valuable minerals in the ground and puts together a plan to safely and responsibly extract those minerals so they can be used by all of us in our cellphones, cars and other daily necessities. Our government and regulatory agencies then carefully review the plan, gathering input from the public, experts and others and making sure the plan really will work and will comply with stringent state and federal environmental protection laws and other measures. Everyone agrees the review is so critical it can take years to complete; no one even balks at that.
One could assume then that by issuing the ruling they did last week — a ruling to pretty much kill a potential underground precious metals mine near Ely — the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service had concluded such a review process and had determined, scientifically or otherwise, that what was being proposed wasn’t possible or couldn’t be done in an environmentally safe or responsible way.