The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold the state’s 30th sale of metallic minerals exploration and mining leases, tentatively scheduled for January. The lease sale plans are being announced at this time in order to give mining companies, public interest groups and all other interested parties additional time to review the areas under consideration.
The purpose of Minnesota’s metallic minerals rules (Minnesota Rules, parts 6125.0100 - .0700) is to promote and regulate the exploration for, mining and removal of metallic minerals on state-owned and state-administered lands. These rules, and the leases issued under these rules, authorize exploration and development of these minerals and impose certain requirements on the lessee. The requirements include: the payment of rentals that increase with the passage of time, the payment of royalty for all ore mined and removed, the submission of data and other reports, and the addressing of environmental considerations. In addition, the state lessee must comply with all applicable regulatory laws.
The areas under consideration for the lease sale cover portions of Beltrami, Koochiching, Lake, Lake of the Woods, Roseau and Saint Louis counties. The lands being considered have been offered in previous metallic minerals lease sales, but based upon the interest shown by industry, new geologic data, and exploration techniques developed during the past few years, it is felt that within these lands there is potential for the discovery of mineral resources.
The exact time and place of the lease sale will be announced by legal notice at least 30 days prior to the sale. Mining unit books, listing the state lands to be offered at the lease sale, will be available for inspection or purchase at that time.
A map showing the general areas under consideration is available from the DNR Division of Lands and Minerals, 500 Lafayette Road, St. Paul, MN 55155-4045, by phone at (651) 259-5959, or by visiting the DNR Web site at www.dnr.state.mn.us.
Click here to see DNR lease map.
Click to see Ely Lease Sale Map- information from Minnesota DNR