DNR Let Lutsen Violations Slide
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources admits it repeatedly let the Lutsen Mountain ski resort draw more water from the state-protected Poplar River for snow-making than its 1964 permit allowed.
Land and Resource Use
State Mineral Lease Sales Postponed
A council of top Minnesota government officials has postponed the sale of 77 northeastern Minnesota mineral exploration leases on properties where the state holds the mineral rights but private individuals own the surface land.
PolyMet Mining in Need of Cash
PolyMet Mining, which hopes to establish an open pit copper-nickel mine near Babbitt, is running low on funds according to an independent audit of the firm.
International Task Force Issues Report
The International Lake of the Woods and Rainy River Watershed Task Force recently released its draft report addressing how Canada and the United States should work together to manage water quality and related issues in the watershed.
Survey Seeks North Shore Impressions
Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program is surveying visitors and residents of Minnesota’s North Shore about the quality and quantity of public accesses along the coast.
Chain of Lakes: No Quota Change
In the latest chapter of an on-going saga rankling local residents and outfitters, the U.S. Forest Service will not adjust permit quotas for motorboats on the Moose Lake to Prairie Portage chain of lakes leading into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near Ely.
Open Houses Set for Prospecting Impact
The U.S. Forest Service will host three open houses next week for review and comment on its draft Environmental Impact Statement for mineral prospecting in the Superior National Forest.
Old Mine Drainage Worries Advocates
The drainage of pollutants from an abandoned mine near Ely coupled with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency allegedly lax oversight of the situation has environmental advocates concerned about the state’s ability to oversee the large copper-nickel mines proposed for the area.
Congressman Pushing PolyMet Project
Newly-elected Minnesota 8th-District Congressman Chip Cravaack met recently with company officials, regulatory agencies, and elected officials in an attempt to expedite PolyMet Mining’s proposed copper-nickel mine near Babbitt.
Advocates Want PolyMet Partner Scrutinized
Environmental advocates want Minnesota regulators to consider the track record of one of PolyMet Mining’s financial backer when it considers permitting the company’s copper-nickel mine near Babbitt.
DNR Seeks Comments on BWCAW Lakes
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is seeking comments on its management plans for a number of lakes and streams in the Finland area, including six lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Meeting to Connect Communities, Land
Finding new ways to connect local communities to the public lands near them is the thrust of an upcoming meeting of the Heart of the Continent Partnership scheduled for February 24-25 in Eveleth.
PolyMet Hires Former MPCA Commissioner
PolyMet Mining, the Canadian firm that hopes to build a $600-million copper-nickel mine near Babbitt, has hired former Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Commissioner Brad Moore as an Executive Vice President.
Environmentalists Sue Over PolyMet Loan
Five environmental groups are suing the State of Minnesota over a $4-million loan that Iron Range Resources approved for PolyMet Mining as part of its plan to mine copper, nickel, and precious metals near Babbitt.
McFarland Lake Shoreline Protected
Nearly 1,200 feet of shoreline on McFarland Lake just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been protected via a conservation easement facilitated by the Minnesota Land Trust.
Copper Mining Firms to Merge
Duluth Metals, Ltd. has agreed to buy Franconia Minerals Corp. in a merger of companies hoping to mine copper and nickel in Northeastern Minnesota.
Critics Concerned by Loan to PolyMet
Environmental advocates are concerned with a $4-million loan granted by the state of Minnesota’s Iron Range Resources board to PolyMet mining which hopes to open a controversial copper-nickel mine near Babbitt.
PolyMet Seeks $4-Million Loan from State
PolyMet Mining is asking for a $4-million loan from the State of Minnesota to help it buy land that it will swap with the U.S. Forest Service for land at its planned mining site near Babbitt.
Easement Conserves 76,000 Forest Acres
A conservation easement agreement will keep some 76,000 acres of northern Minnesota forest protected for sustainable forestry, wildlife habitat, and recreation, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced yesterday.
Atikokan Looks Ahead to Gold Mine
Atikokan, the northern gateway community to Quetico Provincial Park, is considering what steps to take to become gold mining town. Osisko Mining expects to have a gold mine in the Atikokan area, perhaps by 2015.