Environmental groups delivered to the D-N-R 10-thousand comments opposing the planned PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota as the public input period ended this week. John Gappa with Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness says the D-N-R should increase the upfront cash requirement for PolyMet. Gappa told a cheering crowd at the Capitol, “In God We Trust. Polymet, please bring cash.”
Aaron Klemz with Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy warns the proposed PolyMet permit does not protect Minnesota’s waters. “It basically is trying to put a 900-acre toxic lake 250 feet in the air and hold it behind an earthen dam forever,” he says.
Backers contend modern technology will protect the environment while providing badly-needed jobs in northern Minnesota.