Polymet

Polymet https://www.dailykos.com/news/Polymet News Community Action Copyright 2005 - Steal what you want Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:05:25 +0000 Mon, 27 Jan 2020 12:05:25 +0000 Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Daily Kos rss@dailykos.com (Daily Kos) Colorado suffers the mining pollution disaster Minnesota fears https://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/8/12/1411613/-Colorado-suffers-the-mining-pollution-disaster-Minnesota-fears It's not hypothetical. The disaster at a gold mine that was abandoned nearly a century ago near Silverton, CO, is exactly what opponents of sulfide mining in Minnesota have been warning about. Water mixes with crushed rock and leaches out sulfides that make for a nice acid bath --- <a href="https://www.hcn.org/articles/when-our-river-turned-orange-animas-river-spill">formerly known as Cement Creek and the Animas River</a>. <blockquote>On a scorcher of an August afternoon, a crowd gathered on a bridge over the deep-green waters of the Animas River on the north end of Durango, Colorado. A passerby might have thought they were watching a sporting event, perhaps a kayak race or a flotilla of inebriated, scantily clad inner tubers. Yet the river that afternoon was eerily empty of rowers, paddlers or floaters — unheard of on a day like this — and the mood among the onlookers was sombre. One mingling in the crowd heard certain words repeated: sad, tragic, angry, toxic. They were here not to cheer anyone on, but to mourn, gathered to watch a catastrophe unfold in slow motion. Soon, the waters below would become milky green, then a Gatorade yellow, before finally settling into a thick and cloudy orangish hue — some compared it to mustard, others Tang. Whatever you called it, it was clearly not right. </blockquote> They're dealing with pollution from mines mostly abandoned in the 1920s and 30's. By "they", I don't mean the mining companies. I mean the taxpayers, in this case in the form of the EPA. <blockquote>Then there's acid mine drainage. The portals and shafts blasted into the mountainsides hijack the natural hydrology, pulling water flowing through fractures toward natural springs into the mine tunnels. There, the water reacts with iron disulfide (pyrite) and oxygen to form sulfuric acid. The acidic water dissolves naturally occurring heavy metals such as zinc, lead, cadmium, copper and aluminum. The resulting contaminated water flows out of the mine adit as if from a spring. By 1991, when the last major mine in the watershed shut down, there were some 400 mines in the watershed, many discharging unmitigated discharges into streams. Not a fish could be found for miles downstream from Silverton, and the impacts to aquatic life were felt in Durango, where, when the mines were still running, sensitive fish were unable to reproduce.</blockquote> The owner of the last mine tried to do something, namely the minimum the state would let it do. Then it got even more complex: Sunnyside cut a deal with the state and Gold King mining, a small operation owned by a Silvertonian. Sunnyside would leave, and turn over its water treatment operations to Gold King, along with enough cash to keep it running for a while. Gold King hoped to eventually resume mining the Gold King (not far from the American Tunnel). For decades, the Gold King, like the nearby Red and Bonita mine, had not discharged any water. But not long after Sunnyside sealed its bulkheads, water started pouring out of all of them. "It was not a coincidence," says Peter Butler, ARSG co-coordinator. The backed up water had found natural fractures to follow into the other mines. Together, the Gold King and Red and Bonita would become some of the biggest polluters in the basin. Initially, their waters were run through the treatment plant that Sunnyside had left behind. But before long, Gold King ran into technical, financial and legal troubles and the treatment plant stopped operating. Water quality for miles downstream once again deteriorated. The fish that had returned to the Animas below Silverton were wiped out. Part of the renewed impetus for a Superfund designation was to bring in funds to resume water treatment as well as figure out ways to clean up the basin’s remaining major polluting mines.Though there's been some focus on the cock-up by an EPA crew that was intending to avoid this problem, the issue is that the taxpayers were stuck with the problem. Whether it was the EPA or a different federal agency or the state, it's all the same to the mining companies. They got to take the gold and leave the problem. The companies formed for the sulfide mining in the Iron Range are owned by multiple companies, none of whom will have any liability when the temporary companies go bankrupt following the mines closing. Minnesota could easily have Colorado's problem of trying to figure out what to do about acidic water a century after the mines close --- with no end in sight. Before reminding me that a century has passed and the technology is surely better, let me point out that <a href="https://www.minnpost.com/earth-journal/2014/08/mine-waste-release-bc-raises-question-would-better-regulators-oversee-minnesot">Mount Polley happened just a year ago</a>. Could modern mining engineers find a solution to avoid destroying the water supplies in northern Minnesota? I'm willing to believe there is an engineering solution, making it possible to mine and still prevent pollution, if the mining companies are willing to spend what it takes to implement such a solution. If you're saying that's a huge "if", oh yes. The mining companies have so far shown no interest in proving their willingness and ability to pay for cleanup of their pollution. Why should they, when dumping cleanup costs on the public while taking the profits and running is built in to the business model? But it's easy to prove me wrong. Pay a damage deposit. Essentially, the mining companies want to rent our land for a while. So pay a <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/27/1265606/-Require-a-damage-deposit-from-sulfide-mining">damage deposit</a> to cover the public's costs when the mines are closed or, since presumably the companies would want to get their deposit back, provide an incentive to avoid pollution problems in the first place. So Polymet and other companies wanting to engage in polluting enterprises: no damage deposit, no renting our land. rss@dailykos.com (ericf) AnimasRiver cementcreek Colorado Environment GoldKing IronRange Minnesota Polymet SulfideMining twin metals twinmetals _1411613 Thu, 13 Aug 2015 04:43:41 +0000 Require a damage deposit from sulfide mining https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/27/1265606/-Require-a-damage-deposit-from-sulfide-mining (Fair warning, this is rather Minnesota-centric, unless someone wants to start sulfide mining [copper or nickel] in your state too. In that case, not so distant. Cross-posted at <a href="http://mnprogressiveproject.com/?p=45491">MN Progressive Project.</a>) Since the proposed sulfide mines in Minnesota's Iron Range are estimated to be worked out in 20 years, and then the mining companies are gone, it's sort of like the mining companies are renting a piece of wilderness and potentially leaving the place trashed like a spiteful tenant leaving an apartment with no expectation of recovering the damage deposit. At least the landlord gets the damage deposit to cover cleaning and repair costs. Would it be such an imposition to demand a damage deposit before approving sulfide mining? The mining companies are supposed to make some sort of assurances under existing law, which feels a bit like a landlord just accepting some assurances that damage will be paid for. Attempts to thread the needle between the desire for the jobs the mines would bring and the pollution they might cause have centered around getting the mining companies to pre-pay for cleanup, or at least prove that they can and will cover their cost and not dump it on the state and local governments when the mines are finished and the companies move on. It seems like making the companies cover pollution costs as a condition of getting their permits is so inarguable, that the discussion should be about how they pay, not whether. That's where we require a damage deposit. The concept is like any damage deposit. Since the companies are essentially renting our land, they need to put aside enough to cover clean up costs. We can't know the costs precisely,  but make a rough estimate, and require the companies to put that much into a state fund. This has to be a fund the state controls, not the mining companies, though it would remain the companies' money. It could even draw interest. When the mines are closed, the companies get their money back --- minus cleanup costs. If that takes centuries, so be it. Any money left over, they get back. The purpose isn't just to cover the costs of mitigating environmental damage. The purpose is to provide an incentive for the companies to clean up after themselves and better yet, take every measure to avoid polluting. Unlike pre-paying, where they're just out the money, and mining supporters understandably smell just an attempt to stop the mines altogether, this would be the companies' money.  If clean up is cheap or they avoid polluting in the first place, they get the money back. What if they won't pay a damage deposit? What would we think of a renter who refused to pay a damage deposit? Rather gives away their bad intentions. It would make me think the mining companies have a business model that depends on externalizing the costs. To take out the jargon, it would show the companies think that in order to make money, they need to make someone else pay for the pollution. Pushing off the costs for the fossil fuel industries so I get the appeal, except if you're not the people making the profits, but rather the people paying, not so appealing. I'm sensible of the desire to have those mining jobs. Mining is part of the culture on the Iron Range, as the name probably implied strongly. Many of the people hoping for these jobs were miners, or their family included miners, and it's just part of their heritage. Or maybe it's just hope of finding work without having to leave the place you grew up and hoped to remain. Whatever the deeper motive, people want jobs, and that's completely understandable. I'm also aware that modern technology requires the minerals that will be mined. When supporters ask people to think about what's in their smartphones, they have a point --- we need those minerals. Getting them from elsewhere might mean getting them from a country with even more slack environmental laws than ours. That argument is valid. Yet opponents are right about the pollution. 500 years of pollution after the mining is done might be the outside of the range, but it's a possible number. 20 years of  a few hundred jobs isn't worth 500 years of mitigating pollution at public expense. If the companies pay however, that's different. Especially in Polymet's case, given that it was formed by several companies just for one project, I can't help thinking that the company will dissolve when the mining is done and oops, none of the former owners can be held liable as the successor company. So yes, I'd rather the cash were in hand, and if it's hard to figure out who to return the deposit to, that's the lesser problem. Let me really stress that part about incentives. Making the companies pay enough up front to cover cleanup, knowing they'll get the money back if we don't have to spend the money, provides a huge incentive to not make us have to spend the money.  Pollution prevention, always cheaper than cleanup, changes immediately from a cost to be dumped on the public into a way to get that big pot of money returned. They have an incentive to be responsible right from the start, to include pollution prevention in their planning, to improve and incorporate mitigation technologies. If it's a matter of cleanup, they have an incentive to do it themselves instead of leaving it to us and hoping we do it cheaply. If you think the government can't do anything right, then you should really want to take care of your pollution yourself. How much should the damage deposit be? I don't know. There's no way to know. Any estimate of final costs will be very rough. Maybe the technology of sulfide mining will improve over coming decades, but on the other hand, this sort of mining has a bad record, and we have a lot of water in this state to be polluted. But how important is exactness? Landlords don't know how much damage a renter will leave behind, and the renter sure has no idea what cleaning and repairs will cost. A typical deposit equal to a month's rent seems like a number related to something, but really, it isn't. It's a guess. But it works. So we don't need to be exact. We need an estimate, and then add to that in case the estimate is low. The companies I'm sure will hate the idea, but, if the deposit is too big, doesn't really matter --- they're going to get it back anyway. With interest, as I suggest doing it. And if the companies won't make a deposit, well, then we know who they really intend to stick with the costs. And we can say no.   rss@dailykos.com (ericf) Copper Environment IronRange Mining Minnesota Nickel Polymet Rescued sulfide sulphide sulphur twinmetals _1265606 Fri, 27 Dec 2013 20:17:50 +0000 Rep. Rick Nolan backtracks on support for PolyMet permitting bill https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/12/9/1261434/-Rep-Rick-Nolan-backtracks-on-support-for-PolyMet-permitting-bill Northern Minnesota is known for its great fishing, so perhaps it's fitting that tracking 8th District Congressman Rick Nolan's position on a bill that deregulates the mining industry and fast tracks the permitting process for <a href="http://www.polymetmining.com/northmet-project/overview/">PolyMet</a> is a bit like watching a fish flopping around on a dock: first he's against it, then he's for it and now he once again opposes it, this time promising to vote against the legislation if it "comes anywhere near close to becoming law." Nolan made that assurance while addressing the audience at the <a href="http://www.mn350.org/climate-change-forum-with-representative-rick-nolan/">Climate Change Forum</a> held at the University of Minnesota, Duluth on Nov. 16, 2013. We <a href="http://www.ironcountryfreepress.com/?p=1097">reported</a> in September that Nolan stunned many by voting for <a href="https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/hr761/text">National Strategic and Critical Minerals Production Act</a>, mining industry-backed legislation that he blasted both Democrat Jeff Anderson and Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack for supporting and promised never to vote for if elected to congress. Nolan's sudden reversal of his position that proposed mining projects must meet environmental rules as currently written in order to be permitted and subsequent vote to assist right-wing Republicans in their efforts to deregulate yet another industry was among the issues attendees wanted to discuss with their congressman. But getting answers to their concerns proved to be difficult and when pressed Nolan often contradicted himself. For example, he initially claimed HR 761 does not gut environmental protections (contrary to what he <a href="http://www.ironcountryfreepress.com/?p=1097">asserted</a> on the campaign trail), but simply changes the "regulatory regime" just as they did in the <a href="http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c113:6:./temp/~c113xNK8DV::">Small Airplane Revitalization Act of 2013</a>  and went on to discuss how Cirrus Aviation benefits from that legislation.   But when later questioned if his flip flop on the issue is a sign that he's taking support from environmentalists for granted, Nolan finally acknowledged that HR 761 does indeed gut environmental protections, and made this promise: <blockquote>I assure you if and when that legislation (HR 761) comes to anywhere near close to becoming law as I said then, I will not vote for anything that is going to degrade our environment and that's my position and it has always been my position and I'm sticking with it.</blockquote> When asked to clarify Congressman Nolan's position on HR 761, Communications Director Steve Johnson replied "<a href="http://nolan.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/nolan-strategic-minerals-act-would-speed-permitting-for-billions-in-jobs">original statement</a> still stands." The reaction of the those who gathered in Bohannon Hall on that Saturday afternoon is perhaps best summed up by 32-year-old Jesse Peterson, who characterized Nolan's responses and actions with respect to HR 761 as "incredibly deceptive and reflecting a willingness to be phony." Cross-posted from <a href="www.ironcountryfreepress.com">Iron Country Free Press</a> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/pKjViUGpsxw" frameborder="0" defang_allowfullscreen=""></iframe> rss@dailykos.com (keewatinrose) Congress CopperNickelMining Economy Energy Environment Mining MN-08 NationalStrategicandCriticalMineralsProductionAct Polymet Republicans RickNolan _1261434 Mon, 09 Dec 2013 19:59:53 +0000 Democratic Governor ventures bravely into the lion's Chamber https://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/3/13/1193947/-Democratic-Governor-ventures-bravely-into-the-lion-s-Chamber Governor Dayton met with 600 Minnesota business leaders typically hostile to Democrats. As part of Minnesota Chamber at the Capitol Day, Dayton spoke with these business representatives.  Typically, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce spends 80-90% of campaign contributions against Democrats. It is sure to target Dayton in his reelection bid in 2014. Here is why Dayton should win anyways in 2014. He tried his best at producing a "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sister_Souljah_moment">Sister Souljah</a>" moment. <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/10Jh1eZ3oWM?feature=player_detailpage" frameborder="0" defang_allowfullscreen=""></iframe> or link <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=10Jh1eZ3oWM">Here</a> However, Governor Dayton did receive a standing ovation from the body for recently canceling his ideas to tax business services and add clothing and other items to the sales taxed items. <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2013/03/13/gov-dayton-lashes-out-at-chamber-of-commerce/">WCCO story</a> <a href="http://www.startribune.com/politics/statelocal/197861331.html">Star Tribune story</a> <blockquote>But Wednesday was far from ordinary. It was the Chamber’s annual Day at the Capitol, where Dayton addressed more than 600 members who were thrilled that he abandoned a much-criticized business-to-business service tax last week. “I give the governor credit,” said Chamber President David Olson at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Wednesday. “He listened.” Polaris Industries Inc. CEO Scott Wine even modified his prepared remarks to the Chamber after learning the governor reversed course. “That would have been incredibly damaging,” he said, referring to the business service tax. </blockquote> During the question and answer period business leaders whined to Dayton about his plan to still tax the income of the top 2%. (after running for election on this platform). They demanded spending cuts instead. The response from Governor Dayton: <blockquote>""Where would you cut? I would love to hear."</blockquote> The reply from one questioner <blockquote>"It's your Job Governor Dayton to make the cuts, not mine."</blockquote> The business leaders conveniently ignore the underpinnings of their own success at their own peril, a good place to live with high educational standards, and a good place to raise a family. Bravo to Governor Dayton to address a hostile crowd and do so with flair. This is why Governor Dayton has a great chance to be reelected in 2014. rss@dailykos.com (Intheknow) Chamber Dayton DFL MarkDayton Mining Minnesota MinnesotaChamberofCommerce MNGOP Polymet Republicans _1193947 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:11:21 +0000 Gulf Watchers Sunday - Breaking: BP Lies, Cheats, Scores Huge in Iraq - BP Catastrophe AUV #542 https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/7/31/1000721/-Gulf-Watchers-Sunday-Breaking-BP-Lies-Cheats-Scores-Huge-in-Iraq-BP-Catastrophe-AUV-542 BP secretly renegotiates contract, secures "stranglehold" over Iraq oilfields; Hayward oversees "environment, health and safety" (fox, henhouse, carnage) for Glencore in MN; Impatience on both sides of XL pipeline, and Upton tells Big Fat Lies; Environmental protester sentenced to two years; Health crisis worsens a year after spill; Russian refineries accused of "thousands" of violations; Mississippi plume could threaten Gulf; Arctic scientist suspended; Remembering Ken Sara-Wiwa's epic battle against Shell; Oil and Gas Industry Profit Reports Spark Latest Outcry Against Subsidies; Svanberg on the hotseat You are in the current Gulf Watchers BP Catastrophe - AUV #542. ROV #541 is <a href="/story/2011/07/27/999484/-">here</a>. <table border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#C0E0FC">Follow the Gulf Watchers tag by going clicking on the heart next to the Gulf Watchers tag at the bottom of this diary.</td> <td bgcolor="#FFDDAA">Follow the Gulf Watchers Group by going <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/blog/Gulf%20Watchers%20Group">here</a> and clicking on the heart next to where it says "Follow" in the Gulf Watchers Group profile on the right. You will have to scroll down a little to see the profile.</td> <td bgcolor="#C0E0FC">Bookmark <a href="/tag/Gulf%20Watchers">this link</a> to find the latest Gulf Watchers diaries.</td> </tr> </table> Gulf Watchers Diary Schedule Wednesday - afternoon Sunday - late morning Friday Block Party - evening Part one of the digest of diaries is <a href="/story/2010/6/26/05539/6663">here</a> and part two is <a href="/story/2010/11/21/13352/813">here</a>. <blockquote>Please be kind to kossacks with bandwidth issues. Please do not post images or videos. Again, many thanks for this.</blockquote> rss@dailykos.com (Yasuragi) BOEMRE BP Debt Limit DebtCeiling DeChristopher Deepwater Horizon DeepwaterHorizon Ecology eKos Energy Environment Glencore Gulf of Mexico GulfofMexico GulfRestoration GulfWatchers Hayward Health Human Rights HumanRights Iraq KeystoneXL Macondo Minnesota Mississippi Nebraska Offshore Drilling OffshoreDrilling Oil Spill Oilpocalypse OilSpill PolarBears Pollution Polymet Russia Sara-Wiwa Upton XL Pipeline _1000721 Sun, 31 Jul 2011 18:01:57 +0000 Minnesota Mining Madness https://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/4/1/962255/-Minnesota-Mining-Madness    A few days ago a man I didn't know got in touch with me via Facebook. <blockquote>Can you help us with this sulfide mining problem in Minnesota? It's going to be an environmental disaster. </blockquote>    I read what he had to say. Now I know a bit about mining, and a bit about water quality, and my home is smack in the middle of the Iowa Great Lakes – that little slice of Iowa that Minnesota ought to really claim as their own. I was immediately sad when I looked at the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloquet_Valley_State_Forest">Cloquet Valley</a> on Google Maps, because it's warm enough now to be out but my kayak is 500 miles from here at my mom's house.    I agreed to a conference call and I brought <a href="http://progressivecongressnews.org">Progressive Congress News</a> environment editor <a href="http://twitter.com/RLMiller">@Rmiller</a> along with me. rss@dailykos.com (Stranded Wind) enviroment Environment Polymet _962255 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:17:01 +0000