In January, the tailings dam at a Brazilian iron ore mine collapsed, killing nearly 250 people. The wave of toxic waste and mud also wrecked two dozen buildings and polluted water for five miles.
In Minnesota, the disaster raised eyebrows among opponents of a copper-nickel mine planned near Hoyt Lakes. That’s because the design of the dam in Brumadinho was similar to one PolyMet Mining hopes to build. In fact, the Vale mining company had used a method to judge dam safety created by a PolyMet adviser.
And the tragedy in Brazil embodied the worst fears of some Minnesota environmental activists and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, who warn PolyMet could pollute the St. Louis River.
Those groups, and some DFL state legislators, recently asked state regulators to reconsider authorizing PolyMet’s mining plan. “The DNR must modify the tailings … storage permit to require best practices, like dry tailings storage,” which don’t require a pond or dam, says a letter last month signed by 18 Democratic lawmakers. “Minnesota should accept nothing less after the tragic collapse of a similar tailings dam in Brazil that killed 250 people.”
The state Department of Natural Resources, however, says any similarities between PolyMet and the Brumadinho dam are limited. DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen announced last week the agency would not change two critical permits granted to PolyMet last year after researching what happened in Brazil.
For the rest of this article: https://www.minnpost.com/environment/2019/08/a-dam-collapse-in-brazil-has-some-worried-about-polymets-plans-why-the-dnr-says-it-wont-happen-here/