Record Early Ice-Out in Region?
Will record warm temperature for March in northern Minnesota translate into record ice-out dates on area lakes? In International Falls, last month was the warmest March on record.
TOP STORY:
Klobuchar, Oberstar Pressing Coast Guard
Minnesota U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar and Eighth District Congressman Jim Oberstar are working to solve a licensing issue that has proved cumbersome for small-boat operators and fishing guides in northeastern Minnesota and elsewhere.
Voyageurs Invites Comments on Fees
Voyageurs National Park is inviting public comments on a reservation system and fee structure it is considering for the park’s interior campsites on the Kabetogama Peninsula. Park officials say a reservation system would guarantee campsite availability.
Minnesota DNR Announces Fishing Closures
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, in cooperation with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, has announced the locations along the U.S./Canada border in Northeastern Minnesota that will be closed to fishing in the early spring.
PolyMet Investors Turn Cautious
Investors in PolyMet Mining Corporation are showing caution over possible delays in the development of the NorthMet copper-nickel and precious metals mining operation near Babbitt after criticisms of the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement by the EPA.
House Considers Financial Assurance
The Minnesota House of Representatives is considering a bill to tighten the financial assurances required by mining companies operating in the state, even though a companion bill in the state senate has been withdrawn.
Minnesota Wants Gray Wolf Delisted
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has filed the petition with the U.S. Department of the Interior arguing that the gray wolf should be immediately removed from the federal government’s endangered and threatened species list and returned to state management.
Private Development with State Park?
As bonding to purchase land for the proposed Vermilion State Park was signed by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, a St. Louis County official now wants the project to include private development.
Financial Assurance Bill Withdrawn
A bill in the Minnesota State Senate which could have raised the financial assurance requirements for non-ferrous mining companies in the state was withdrawn by its sponsor after lengthy hearings in St. Paul.
Vermilion Park Legislation Advances
A bill in the Minnesota State Senate which would raise the limitation on what the state can spend for the purchase of 3,000 acres of land for a new State Park on Lake Vermilion cleared a hurdle yesterday.
PolyMet Issues Come to State Capitol
Issues surrounding PolyMet Mining Company’s proposed copper-nickel and precious metals mining operation near Babbitt, reached the Minnesota state capitol yesterday at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee.
Senate Committee to Consider PolyMet
Next week, the Minnesota Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee will hear testimony on issues surrounding PolyMet Mining Company’s proposed NorthMet copper-nickel and precious metals mine.
Vermilion Park Development Money to Wait
Even if the $18-million sale of 3000 acres of U.S. Steel land to the State of Minnesota for a park on Lake Vermilion is made this year, funds to fully develop the park will likely have to wait for another two years.
Legislature Mulls PolyMet Assurances
Minnesota state legislators will soon consider bills which could raise the level of financial assurances required by PolyMet Mining Company in order to operate its proposed NorthMet copper-nickel mining operation near Babbitt.
Namakan Dam Comments Close Tomorrow
The comment period on the Draft Environmental Report for Ojibway Power and Energy Group’s proposed hydroelectric project on the Namakan River west of Quetico Provincial Park closes tomorrow.
EPA Criticizes PolyMet Plans
The Environmental Protection Agency, noting more than two dozen inadequacies in the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposedPolyMet copper-nickle mine, says the project should not go forward as planned.
National Park Firearms Law Changes Today
A change in Federal law effective today allows possession of firearms in Voyageurs National Park by people who can legally possess firearms under Federal, Minnesota, and local laws.
Chorus Grows for Wolf Delisting
A growing chorus in favor of removal of the eastern gray wolf from the federal Endangered Species List could culminate in a lawsuit to force the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to turn management of the species over to state agencies.
Vermilion Park Bill Passes First Test
A bill in the Minnesota State Senate authorizing the state to pay up to $18 million to U.S. Steel for 3000 acres of land to create Vermilion State Park cleared its first hurdle yesterday.
Could Land Swap Hamstring PolyMet?
Could restrictions on the Superior National Forest land where PolyMet Mining wants to establish Minnesota’s first copper-nickel mine stymie the company’s plans to open its project in a timely fashion?