Minnesota Duluth Complex and Iron Range

http://www.kare11.com/default.aspx [Minneapolis-St. Paul]

NEW ORLEANS — As the autumn sun starts to peek over the horizon, a blazing mix of orange, yellow and red, Pete Gerica starts up his fishing boat as he’s done nearly every morning for decades. Gerica’s fishing roots run as deep as the water off the Louisiana coast. A good catch is his southern comfort.

“I’ve been actually on this water here for the better part of 55 years,” Gerica says about the Bayou Sauvage, which is located just east of New Orleans. “It’s kind of like a gambler. You get an adrenaline rush when you make good.”

Gerica is a 4th generation shrimper, an industry as important to the Gulf Coast as oil production in the nearby Gulf of Mexico. He brought KARE 11 trawling in the bayou, but the catch isn’t what it used to be.

“That’s nowhere near enough and nowhere near the right size,” Gerica says after he pulls up a test net and measures the few shrimp he caught.

Gerica and his family barely survived Hurricane Katrina and then the next disaster hit. In 2010, 11 people were killed when an off shore BP oil rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico. Millions of barrels of oil poured into the Gulf for weeks.

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 http://www.kare11.com/default.aspx [Minneapolis-St. Paul]

HOYT LAKES, Minn. – A major proposed mining project on Minnesota’s Iron Range has nothing to do with iron ore, but could still hold the key to the region’s economic future or lead to its environmental destruction, depending on who you ask.

There is no doubt that the possibility of mining for copper, nickel and other precious metals in an area with a tradition of mining, as well as a tradition of impeccable cleanliness and beauty, has been contentious. The new debate is ramping up as a company that could be the first to mine for copper and nickel in Minnesota moves further along in the regulatory process.

The deposit of copper, nickel and other precious metals like platinum, palladium and gold is one of the world’s largest. It’s called the Duluth Complex and stretches approximately 150 miles from Duluth to the Canadian border.

The Duluth complex was discovered decades ago, but because of the geologic make-up of the deposit, only more recently has technology been developed to mine the ore efficiently. Geologists say the Duluth complex contains billions of tons of ore potentially worth trillions of dollars. Many companies have staked a claim in the rich mineral deposit.

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http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken joined 15 of their colleagues Tuesday introducing legislation to encourage mining of “critical minerals” across the U.S.

The Minnesota Democrats joined senators on both sides of the aisle, all from mining states, on the bill called the “Critical Minerals policy Act of 2013.”

The Senate bill requires the Interior Secretary to maintain a list of 20 minerals and elements designated as critical to the nation. It would amend the National Materials and Minerals Policy, Research and Development Act of 1980 to establish a method of tracking and forecasting the nation’s “critical mineral demand, supply and other market dynamics” to allow “informed actions to be taken to avoid supply shortages, mitigate price volatility and prepare for demand growth and other market shifts.”

The 40-page bill stops short of identifying what specific critical minerals might be. Klobuchar said her support comes from doing what is best for the state and country regarding the mineral supply.

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http://www.hibbingmn.com/

DULUTH — By any method that the Duluth Complex is rated, several experts say the nonferrous potential embedded in the geologic region makes it the largest mineral deposits ever.

The complex stretches from near Duluth northeast and north to near the Canadian border. Copper, nickel and precious metals group elements (platinum-palladium) are a major part of minerals in the complex. Two companies, PolyMet and Twin Metals, are preparing for production or getting near that goal after environmental review and permits are obtained. More companies are busy exploring other locations for deposits.

“I have no doubt this will prove to be the biggest undeveloped deposit,” said Jim Miller, a geology professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

Another researcher, George Hudak, minerals division director at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth, agreed. “This is the largest untapped copper-nickel deposit in the world,” he said.

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http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

Supporters of Minnesota copper mining often cite the Flambeau Mine near Ladysmith in north-central Wisconsin as an example of a mine that can run well, be played out and ultimately be “reclaimed” while not causing significant environmental problems.

While environmental groups cite ongoing issues with runoff at the Flambeau site, including high levels of copper in a small stream in excess of water quality standards, an August U.S. Court of Appeals decision ruled the company is not in violation of its permit. That decision is being interpreted by mining supporters in Minnesota as an example of a copper mine operating and closing without environmental doom predicted by critics.

The small Wisconsin deposit, discovered in 1969, was mined along the Flambeau River between 1993 and 1997, producing 181,000 tons of copper, 334,000 ounces of gold and 3.3 million ounces of silver.

“Yes, copper, nickel and other much needed metal production can and has been done safely and successfully, without polluting local waters,” the industry group Mining Minnesota notes in a recent publication. The Flambeau mine is “a great example of this success … and has since been closed and reclaimed in full compliance with Wisconsin laws.”

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http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the proposed PolyMet mine site near Hoyt Lakes. PolyMet would like to reopen a former taconite mine for copper and nickel. Not knowing much about the mining industry in general, I was curious about the new jobs, tax revenue and other opportunities that could be generated for the state.

The staff members at PolyMet are lifelong Iron Rangers proud of their northern Minnesota mining heritage. They are avid outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy hunting, fishing and frequent trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. PolyMet has put together an experienced mining staff with strong and loyal employees who represent the best of Minnesota.

Refurbishing the PolyMet site will cost about $475 million and take about 2 million working hours. This is about the same as building Target Field, the new baseball stadium in Minneapolis. New jobs will be for carpenters, laborers, operating engineers and teamsters. Once the buildings and equipment are repaired and refurbished, the plant will have about 360 jobs that will pay $26 to $32 per hour year-round, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Over the 20-year life of this proposed project, it is estimated to generate $720 million in wages and benefits, $300 million in state and local government taxes and $10.3 billion for St. Louis County.

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http://www.timberjay.com/ [Northeast Minnesota]

REGIONAL – Tribal authorities cooperating in the preparation of PolyMet Mining’s supplemental environmental impact statement are expressing fundamental disagreements with key science and conclusions in the 1,800-page preliminary draft document. In addition, they are challenging the longstanding claim by lead agencies and mining supporters that Minnesota has and maintains strict enforcement of environmental rules pertaining to operating mines in the state.

The lengthy tribal comments, provided by the Fond du Lac Band as well as the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, or GLIFWC, appear to have played a role in the latest delay in the expected release of the draft EIS. The report had been scheduled for release in early September, but officials overseeing the project now say the draft version will be released in late November.

The report also faced significant critique by some officials within the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for a large number of errors. Those DNR comments will likely lead to changes before the draft report is issued in November. Some of the tribal comments may lead to changes, but in other cases, those comments will be incorporated into a dissenting view that’s expected to be included in an appendix to the study.

The extensive comment provided by a number of agencies was not unexpected, according to Steve Colvin, the DNR’s Deputy Director for Ecological and Water Resources.

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http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan joined with other mining supporters Wednesday when the U.S. House passed legislation to streamline federal environmental permitting for mining projects.

U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan joined with other mining supporters Wednesday when the U.S. House passed legislation to streamline environmental permitting for mining projects on federal lands.

The Bill, HF 761, called the National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act of 2013, passed the Republican-controlled House by a 246 to 178 vote.

The bill declares most new mining projects as strategic for the nation, speeds up the federal agency review process and restricts efforts to file lawsuits to stop such projects. The bill essentially sets a 30-month limit for environmental review and a 60-day limit for any challenges.

Nolan, D-Crosby, was one of only 15 Democrats to vote in favor of the bill. He had said in recent weeks that he was undecided on the bill, and opponents of faster-paced mining projects in Minnesota bombarded Nolan with calls to vote no.

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http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/

As a 56-year member of the Society of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, I feel a response is necessary to the Aug. 23 commentary, “What the metals-mining lobbyist left out of column speaks volumes.” The commentary opposing copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, without realizing it, actually cited the need for these mines. By enumerating the number of visitors to Ely (700,000 per year), the number of Boundary Waters visitors (250,000 per year) and the number of deer hunters in Minnesota (600,000) the column actually endorsed the need.

How do all of those visitors and hunters get to those recreational areas? Most likely they go in their cars and trucks and not by horse and buggy. And of course, as most everyone knows, a large amount of Earth-based minerals goes into the manufacturing of those vehicles — and it takes mined petroleum to fuel them.

The Society of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers has as its slogan, “If it can’t be grown, it has to be mined.” This is an irrefutable fact. Test it for yourself. It is not an assumption like the opponents’ that rivers and waters will be polluted by the proposed mines. Regulations and restrictions developed over years in conjunction with the latest available science and technology will provide necessary safeguards to prevent pollution.

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http://www.mineweb.com/

New drill holes on the Twin Metals Minnesota Maturi deposit on the massive Duluth metallurgical complex indicate the presence of yet another high grade nickel-copper zone.

LONDON (MINEWEB) – In what Duluth Metals CEO, Chris Dundas, described in an email to Mineweb as yet another ‘exciting’ piece of news, the company has reported that a new high grade zone of nickel-copper mineralisation has been intersected on the southern edge of its Maturi deposit within the Duluth/Antofagasta Twin Metals Minnesota (TMM) project in north eastern Minnesota, USA.

The Duluth Complex possibly contains the world’s largest undeveloped polymetallic resource containing nickel, copper, cobalt, platinum, palladium, gold and more. It is somewhat comparable in size to the Sudbury nickel complex in Canada, Norilsk in Russia and the Bushveld Compex in South Africa as massive bodies containing huge amounts of strategic metals, but these others are already being worked extensively. The Duluth Complex is believed to contain the world’s third largest nickel resource and the second largest concentration of copper and platinum group metals.

Duluth Metals with TMM is one of the biggest concession holders in the area, if not the biggest, having acquired Franconia in 2011, although PolyMet is perhaps more advanced towards production with the smaller, but still significant-sized, NorthMet project on another part of the Complex, while Teck is among other companies which are looking at other areas there.

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http://www.startribune.com/

Joe Baltich lives near Ely, Minn.

These days, everybody has a lot to say about mining, tourism and the northern Minnesota economy. Many from the Twin Cities area oppose an underground copper-mining proposal near Ely and have been trying to stop the project in its tracks.

One of their reasons for doing so is well-intended — they want to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The second reason is more self-serving — they want to protect it for whenever the day comes that they decide to pay a visit.

I felt that it is time someone actually from Ely explained our reality. We want to protect the BWCA all the time, and we also want to be a viable, vibrant community. It is hard to do that with outside forces trying to stifle economic activity. I was recently asked by a Twin Cities resident to sign an anti-mining petition. Here is a condensed version of the letter I sent in reply:

The whole town of Ely is economically collapsing. Last year, 156 people were in the obituaries, and the New Year’s baby was born on Feb. 10. Resort bookings for May and June were substantially off, and I’m pretty sure they will be down for July and August.

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http://www.sctimes.com/ 

This is the opinion of Rolf Westgard, a professional member of the Geological Society of America. He teaches classes on energy subjects for the University of Minnesota Lifelong Learning program.

In 2011, we humans extracted and burned some 15 billion tons of coal, oil and natural gas, or 4,000 pounds for everyone on Earth. That put more than 30 billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Nature passed over Minnesota on its way to states such as North Dakota and Texas where it placed the sedimentary basins in which fossil fuels such as oil formed. Minnesota was not totally forgotten, and we got minerals such as iron ore and the non-ferrous group of copper, nickel, cobalt, palladium, platinum, etc. We’ve dug up most of the iron. But nestled in a wide band, meandering along the Archean granite of the Iron Range, is a world-class deposit of non-ferrous metals worth billions of dollars and thousands of jobs.

Total world annual production of those metals is just 30 pounds or so per person, and their demand and price is rising. Manufacturing wind turbines, solar panels, electric vehicles, catalytic converters and smart grid power lines requires copper, nickel, cobalt, palladium and platinum. 

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