Mesabi Daily News
Bill Hanna

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources on Thursday ruled that the Final Environmental Impact Statement for PolyMet’s NorthMet copper/nickel/precious metals mine project near Hoyt Lakes is adequate, which paves the way for permit application by the company.

The environmental review process is now complete for the first-ever nonferrous mine in Minnesota.

DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said the process leading to the completion of the state’s EIS has been deliberative and thorough.

Read more: http://www.virginiamn.com/news/local/dnr-polymet-eis-is-adequate/article_23f70718-e175-11e5-b4b7-6bdb5dc7e000.html

Mesabi Daily News
Opinion: Steve Giorgi

Our community leaders need to work together as a region as we will be challenged again to do more with less. We need to take pride in our communities and make them inviting and welcoming to newbies who come to town, who may have a different outlook on life than us but are what we need to survive.

We need new blood, fresh ideas, new challenges to help us accept that life as we have known it for the past 100 years is going to change. Let’s work together to make it a change for the better.

Read more: http://www.virginiamn.com/mine/one-range-one-voice/article_00f639da-daa1-11e5-84d5-fbe66199bef8.html

Mesabi Daily News
Opinion: Kurt Daudt 

Minnesota has a long, rich history of mining.

Iron was discovered while miners were in pursuit of gold in the late 1860s. At the time, they did not know iron would become more valuable to northern Minnesota than gold or that our state would become the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in our nation.

Imagine if early Minnesotans ignored the discovery of iron ore on the Range. Mining is not just part of our past, but an important part of our present and future.

Read more: http://www.virginiamn.com/mine/mining-is-our-past-present-future/article_ba16616c-daa4-11e5-9cfb-8fb4bb6a774d.html

Mesabi Daily News
Opinion: Steve Giorgi

Our community leaders need to work together as a region as we will be challenged again to do more with less. We need to take pride in our communities and make them inviting and welcoming to newbies who come to town, who may have a different outlook on life than us but are what we need to survive.

We need new blood, fresh ideas, new challenges to help us accept that life as we have known it for the past 100 years is going to change. Let’s work together to make it a change for the better.

Read more: http://www.virginiamn.com/mine/one-range-one-voice/article_00f639da-daa1-11e5-84d5-fbe66199bef8.html

Mesabi Daily News
Opinion: Michael Thompson

Once [PolyMet] is operational, 360 direct mining jobs will be created having a payroll spending impact of $330 million per year. Don’t forget about the indirect jobs that this will create. Contractors doing maintenance of facilities, vendors and small businesses expanding or opening would create an additional estimated 630 jobs. The Labovitz School of Business at the University of Minnesota-Duluth economic impact study estimates a total of $515 million per year being pumped into the local economy.

Read more: http://www.virginiamn.com/mine/polymet-ready-to-go-dig-baby-dig/article_59dd8a9a-daa0-11e5-a791-0be08e46689a.html