DULUTH – Democrats averted a nasty public fight Sunday over a controversial Iron Range copper-nickel mining proposal that has vividly split powerful party factions.
Activists at the state DFL convention decided against debating a proposal to make support of mining part of the state party platform. The move took on enormous implications as environmentalists and labor supporters are bitterly divided over PolyMet Mining Corp.’s proposal to extract copper and nickel from the long-closed LTV mine in Hoyt Lakes.
“The mining issue has the potential to rip up the last remaining hard-core Democrats,” said Joel Holstad, a DFL activist from Forest Lake. “I have no idea which way this is going to go, but I think this issue has the potential to be incredibly impactful on the future of the party.”
Some elected Democrats, who control the governor’s office and the House and Senate, were dreading a bruising public fight that would have overshadowed DFLers’ overwhelming endorsements of Gov. Mark Dayton and U.S. Sen. Al Franken, who are heading into tough re-election fights.
Convention activists had seemed primed for an explosive battle over the mining issue just the day before. Dayton and Franken were even asked about their positions on PolyMet during celebratory news conferences after their endorsements.
“There are some who are willing to die on their sword over this, regardless of what happens politically to people,” said Nancy Larson, a longtime DFL activist who grew up on the Iron Range and supports copper-nickel mining.
In the end, activists on both sides came to the microphones to urge hundreds of feisty delegates to delay the vote indefinitely, a remarkable showing for a party that has seen conventions erupt into damaging fights with political scars that can last decades.
“I think people on both sides understand that we can have respectful differences, but we need to make sure we don’t do anything that is going to take away from our candidates’ ability to win this fall,” said Ken Martin, DFL Party chairman. “So there was a lot of discipline here. People understand the ramifications of the issue.”
PolyMet has pledged to invest $650 million initially and create up to 360 jobs if it gets approval. The firm expects to infuse another $500 million a year over the two-decade life of the mine.
Other companies already are lining up to tap what they have found to be one of the world’s largest untouched deposits of copper, nickel and other precious metals used for everything from smartphones to hybrid cars. Local officials are hoping the area is on the leading edge of a mining resurgence on the scale of the oil boom in North Dakota.
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