Minnesotas Department of Natural Resources recently deciding to approve a complex environmental analysis of a proposed copper-nickel mine project. Annual production is estimated to include 15.4 million pounds nickel, 72 million pounds copper, 720,000 pounds cobalt and 106,000 ounces of precious metals.
In its final environmental impact statement on the proposed mine, the agency called the 3,000-plus page environmental impact statement “adequate”, thus concluding the state’s environmental review. This means that PolyMet Mining can start applying for permits to mine the Minnesota Duluth Complex, said to contain “one of the world’s largest undeveloped deposits of nickel, copper and precious metals,” according to PolyMet. The Duluth Complex is a rich vein of minerals stretching from about 150 miles north of Duluth to the Canadian border.