With the stated goal of becoming the second operating copper-nickel mine in the Duluth Complex of Northeastern Minnesota, Franconia Minerals Corporation announced today that it is initiating waste rock characterization studies on its the Birch Lake deposit.
“Precious Waters,” a film producers hope will help sway public sentiment against sulfide mining in Northeastern Minnesota, debuts Wednesday. The film will be shown at 7:00 p.m. at the John B. Davis Lecture Hall, Ruth Stricker Dayton Campus Center at Macalester College in St. Paul.
A forum yesterday previewed the discussion that’s likely to take place in more official precincts when the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for northeastern Minnesota’s first non-ferrous mining project is released later this fall.
Copper-nickel mining projects in northern Minnesota continue to move forward as environmentalists question the impact of the proposed mines and proponents hail the economic benefits. Meanwhile, the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness notes that the land for the proposed PolyMet mine was once identified for its ecological significance.
A recently released study of mining in Minnesota finds that its economic impact in the state is significant, tied to 34% of gross regional product and poised to grow.
By Charlie Mahler, Wilderness News Contributor Three new mining projects inside and adjacent to the Superior National Forest signal a new era in northern Minnesota mining. In a region known world-wide …