Polymet Mine Case Study

The original cause of this problem was the poorly thought out regulations set by the EPA. One of the main reasons people have such skepticism about government agencies like the EPA are broad, poorly thought out ideas like the post-flood dam regulations. As you can see in figure 2 there would have to be a flood of biblical proportions for the dam to break. This is not only the EPA’s fault, however. The EPA is simply understaffed and cannot individually assess to the best of their ability what would work best on an individual basis. So they create these broad all-encompassing regulations that may only be well crafted for larger bodies of

     Keeping the pollution to a minimal isn’t the easiest thing in the world to do. The major water pollutants are chemical, biological, or physical materials that

For those who are unaware, the PolyMet mine is a copper - nickel mine located in

In order to have a thriving and healthy society a clean water supply is a very simple but necessary resource. Dating back to the beginning of civilizations the need for clean water was an essential need. The Clean Water Act dates to Franklin D Roosevelt’s administration. In 1972 Congress amended and passed what is now known as the Clean Water Act to protect our precious resource of water. The clean water Act prevented the dumping of pollutants into navigable waters without a permit. Many municipalities and commercial entities had previously dumped sewage and unregulated waste in to our rivers and streams contaminating a great percentage of our drinking water. This wreck less contamination of our waterways not only affected humans but also affected our wildlife including fish and animal’s life that depended on these waters. Any municipality or company that could affect our waters would need to apply for a permit to do so. While the Clean Water Act was a landmark legislation that was supported by both Democrats and Republicans alike over the years has seen expansion of the EPA’s interpretation of the law and has created a controversy in Administrative Law that has many challenges up to the Unites States Supreme Court. (Television, n.d.)

Imagine drifting slowly on a canoe while fishing one of Minnesota's crystal clear waters on a beautiful, sunny day. Now imagine being interrupted by the loud, ongoing sounds of drilling and being told the fish were too dangerous to eat. This is only one of many potential harms of sulfide mining. PolyMet, a new mining company would like to bring sulfide mining, also known as copper-nickel mining to Minnesota. This would involve the extraction of copper and various other metals from sulfide, hence the name. The sulfide that comes out of this type of mining can have serious consequences on the environment. Events that occurred in the past and facts mentioned in the books titled Taconite Dreams by Jeffrey Manuel and Fractured Land by Lisa

I would have to say that from the reading that it can be very harmful for the coal mining chemicals to seep into the ground into our drinking water.

The waterways can be divided into categories of water that has been affected by the Summitville mine and water that has not been affected. Based on the location of the waterways, the Beaver Mud Dump, the Headwaters of Wightman Fork, Schinzel Flats, Wightman Fork below mine, and the small creek from tailings pile would be directly affected by the contamination initiated by mining activity, while the Cattle Guard, Iron Creek, Alum Creek, Bitter Creek, and waterways around the Alamosa River would not be affected or as affected by the mining activity (refer to Figure 1). From the data collected this year, it can be inferred that the Beaver Mud Dump is by far the most metal-polluted body of water in the area; though the waterways affected by

Some argue that, economically, the mining operation will be a net gain in money for the working class and that 75 to 80 percent of the jobs in northern Minnesota will be local [1]. However, for the project to fully go through, it requires “$200 million to $400 million in financial protections, and would overall be a financial liability for taxpayers” [2]. So despite how many jobs the project will create, it could result in a net loss of money for the people living in that area. Another problem that PolyMet thinks they have solved is the mass amount of pollution that will surface during the mining process. They say they will “use the most advanced mining procedures to extract the materials and prevent pollution during the mines 20 year life” [3]. Not only is this solution incredibly vague in its description, but many argue that “the pollution will be a problem long after the mine plays out and PolyMet is gone. The latest studies shows a possibility that the mine’s wastewater could flow north to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness” [3]. The argument that advanced procedures would be used against pollution falls short of satisfactory when their description is so ill-defined.

Recently, a contractor working for the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) unintentionally released 3 million gallons of toxic mine waste into the Animas River in the Mountain West state of Colorado. Today, people in the US are debating the efficacy of the EPA (the right-wing is using the spill as anti-government propaganda) and the toxic aftermath the spill will undoubtedly have on local economies, communities and ecosystems. So far, the spill has "contaminated the Animas River, San Juan River, and the Colorado River in Utah."

It will not have any affects on the surrounding communities that reside amongst the rivers and lakes and will not be any kind of annoyance or inconvenience to their neighbors. It will only be there to help and nothing but benefits will come from it.

Things like mining too far into a wall that connects to an older mine, thus increasing the danger of a collapse, is common. Other practices include shoddy dams that contain the slurry, a mixture of water and fine particles of coal, which do not always meet structural regulations that can and have broken and flood nearby communities (Light and Light, 2006). There are other environmental issues that are associated with coal mining. Acid mine drainage is the result of sulfide minerals being exposed to oxygen. This produces sulfuric acid and can dissolve heavy metals from the waste rock, making it bioavailable. Without proper treatment, this will poison the water systems near that mine and will seep into the streams, creeks, and even ground and well water. The water turns orange and is impossible for anything to live off of the water or in it (Kirsch, 2014). Another issue of coal mining is airborne coal dust, which can result in Black Lung disease. This is caused by inhaling too much coal dust and is common in miners, but with surface mining becoming more prevalent, more coal dust is being released into the air and drifting down to the communities. More children and elderly people are having respiratory problems that many believe are because of

Open pit mining creates a hole where groundwater will collect instead of flowing naturally into the watersheds. What water will flow into those watersheds will be contaminated by mercury--from the processing of the ore into taconite pellets and sulfuric acid, causing incredible damage to the ecosystem of the rivers and Lake

My opinion on the Polymet Mine is that it is necessary to have. It produces the majority

The mine might not destroy the boundary water, but it will destroy other wildlife and big water supply's. Bruce Richardson the VP of polymet said "all modern mines don't pollute, "but the eagle mine has polluted twice in one year"(goo.gl/TmK7L5). Eagle mine is a new mine that has been mining for a year. People say that the miners need the jobs,but the miners would only be employed for 20 years then they are back to being unemployed. Bruce Richardson said “the mining company has a fund that if the mine spills the money will help pay for damage”, but it's not a fund it's an assurance claim that could play for it. The

As of January 21, 2015 Imperial metals are seeking the final permit to open the Red Chris mine in the Sacred Headwaters in northwest B.C. The Tahlatan First Nation has blocked Imperial Metals Red Chris entry to its copper and gold mines several times this year. Tensions are high amongst the First Nation and Imperial Metals; however, great strides have been made by the B.C Ministry of Environment to help easy these tensions. Apart from Imperial Metals, Shell and Fortune Minerals have also been trying to establish mining installations. The BC government managed to deter Shell away from the Sacred Headwaters by promising the banning of all Oil and Gas companies access to the land. Shell had planned to develop multiple fracking sites, coupled with