Save Our Sky Blue Waters

Northern Minnesota's Waters and Forests Threatened by Sulfide Mining and Industrial Expansion

Located between the North Shore of Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the Arrowhead Region is Minnesota's most loved recreation area and a place that millions visit for rejuvenation. This region faces an unprecedented industrial expansion that is certain to affect the qualities that draw people here. One of the worst threats from this expansion is from the mining of sulfide ores, a particularly harmful type of mining that has not been conducted in Minnesota before. PolyMet Mining's NorthMet Mine, located between Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes, is the first of what may become many sulfide mine proposals.

Acid Mine Drainage, PA-DEP

What is Sulfide Mining?

Sulfide ores are ores containing heavy metals (such as copper or nickel) that are bonded to sulfur, forming sulfide minerals. When exposed to air and moisture, a chemical reaction generates sulfuric acid that can leach into the surrounding environment and cause the release of the metals into streams and lakes at levels that are toxic to fish and other aquatic life. (See Video) This phenomenon is known as Acid Mine Drainage. In a surface mine like the one proposed by PolyMet, mining leaves huge piles of waste rock and a huge pit exposed to the elements. Like the ore that has been removed, the waste rock and the pit walls contain sulfide minerals. The potential for Acid Mine Drainage and for contamination of surface and ground water by heavy metals remains for centuries, and even millennia, into the future.

What is the track record for Sulfide Mining

Acid mine drainage has already polluted more than 12,000 miles of rivers and streams and over 180,000 acres of lakes and impoundments in the United States. According to the U.S. EPA, acid mine drainage from coal mining is the leading source of water pollution in the Mid-Atlantic States. Acid Mine Drainage from metal mines in Western states has caused some of the country's largest and most contaminated Superfund sites. Mining companies argue that modern mining methods can protect against Acid Mine Drainage, but they cannot point to a single mine that is more than a few years old that has not resulted in contamination. Because Acid Mine Drainage often takes several years to develop, recent mines that have not yet contaminated nearby waters do not provide proof that these ores can be mined safely.

State Mineral Lease Map

click on image to enlarge

Mining Companies are exploring for Metallic Sulfide Minerals Across All Of Minnesota

MN DNR Metallic minerals lease sale

Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI)

UMD's Precambrian Research Center

Iron Range Resources (formerly IRRRB)

PolyMet Mining

Cleveland Cliffs, Inc. (PolyMet JV)

Kennecott Exploration (Rio Tinto)

Franconia Minerals

Lehmann Exploration, Inc (Franconia)

Beaver_Bay_Joint_Venture_("BBJV"),_North Central Mineral Ventures (Franconia)

Duluth Metals Limited

Wallbridge Mining Company (Duluth Metals)

Teck Cominco

Encampment Minerals, Inc.

Prime Meridian Resources Corp

WMC Exploration Inc (BHP Billiton)

BHP Billiton

608457 B.C. LTD

Rainy River Resources Ltd (608457 B.C. LTD)

Platinex Inc.

RENDRAG; Gardner Management Services Inc

Solway Resources LLC

Minerals Processing Corporation

RGGS Land and Minerals, Ltd

*Note - Above is a partial list of those interested in Minnesota's metallic sulfide mineral potential

Click on image to see larger view of the "Duluth Complex" DNR

Click on image to see larger view of Acid Mine Drainage in the Rio Tinto River (Spain)

ARSENIC AND CADMIUM PRESENCE IN AMD-AFFECTED RIVER WATERS

Environmental impact of mining activities in the Odiel river basin (SW Spain)

!!! ACTION ALERTS !!!

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The purple dots on this image of Minnesota show drill cores, which indicate the extent to which mining companies are planning to conduct sulfide mining operations in the state.