Is Gov. Walz starting to get it, on sulfide mining?

From a couple of weeks ago:

(MN Gov. Tim) Walz’s press secretary Teddy Tschann said the governor “takes these concerns seriously. The [water quality] permit is currently being reviewed in court, and he believes that process should continue.” - MPR

From a couple of days ago:

Gov. Tim Walz has urged Glencore, the Swiss mining giant that recently took a majority of shares in PolyMet, to work with unions and to add its name to numerous permits at an hour-long meeting with company officials Thursday, Aug. 8...

“There are still questions to be answered, and I made it clear that there’s not a lot of confidence in Glencore, whether that’s fair or not, that is their perception,” Walz said Thursday afternoon. - Grand Forks Herald

This is certainly welcome, but it’s far short of any indication that Gov. Walz has seen the light on sulfide mining in the state, and is prepared to do what he can to end this crap. What he’s doing now is the safest political play.

As far as getting back the state legislative seats the DFL has been losing in or near the Iron Range, that’s highly unlikely for as long as our nominees continue to be pro-sulfides corporate Dems.

PolyMet/Glencore permitting scandal erupts

From last week.

After months of stonewalling, the federal Environmental Protection Agency has released staff comments that the agency had prepared for the state-issued water quality permit for PolyMet Mining. The release came on the same day that the agency was required to respond to a lawsuit over access to the comments, filed by Water Legacy and other environmental organizations.

The comments are potentially devastating to efforts by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to defend the water quality permit they issued to PolyMet late last year. That permit has been the subject of ongoing litigation by tribal governments and environmental groups. - MinnPost

Clearly, after you've clicked and read the article, something very iffy has gone down. At this point, “corrupt” certainly seems apt. As for words like “criminal” and “felonies,” I don’t know, yet.

Crunch time for PolyMet

You probably saw that PolyMet/Glencore got some of their permits from the state. It’s important to bear in mind that they still have plenty more to get. The way they got their permits so far is messed up - especially if they ultimately get away with it.

First, Minnesota’s Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) has argued PolyMet is planning to build a dramatically bigger mine than it has actually proposed. The second is that some disputes over the project — such as questions raised about the safety of its tailings dam intended to store waste — should be subject to review from an administrative law judge...

Based on financial information submitted by PolyMet through Canadian disclosure laws, however, the MCEA contends the mining company wants to build a mine at least double in size. Copper-nickel mining has long-term risks for the environment, including the creation of acid that can leach heavy metals into water.

“It is very rare for a regulatory agency to say no to an expansion,” Aaron Klemz, a spokesman for the MCEA, told reporters Thursday. “This is a very common technique for the mining industry — to get their camel’s nose under the tent and then come in with the actual proposal.” Klemz’s organization has a pending lawsuit challenging the decision to not review a larger mine in the Court of Appeals. - MinnPost

Moreover:

Paula Maccabee, WaterLegacy Advocacy Director and Counsel expresses concern that the DNR has allowed PolyMet to put up much less financial assurance than required by law to protect taxpayers:

“It would be very troubling if the DNR was allowing PolyMet to circumvent the rules and low-ball financial assurance to make PolyMet’s economically marginal sulfide mining project appear financially feasible.” - WaterLegacy

So, we’ll see.