Land Exchange Proposed for PolyMet “NorthMet” Open-Pit Sulfide Mine
Read WaterLegacy's COMMENTS on SCOPING, with details opposing the exchange of Superior National Forest land proposed to let the PolyMet toxic sulfide mental mine go forward, because it would not meet the test of equal value -- financial nor ecologically.
Public comments were requested by November 29, 2010 for greatest influence on what is in the Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the proposed PolyMet land-exchange, but will be accepted until the SDEIS is published for public comment, possibly during the summer of 2011.
Process of Scoping the potential land-exchange impacts
The PolyMet company owns the mineral rights to the site on which its mine would be located. But, the surface rights are part of the Superior National Forest owned by the United States Forest Service (“Forest Service”) for the benefit of the public.
The Forest Service has determined, based on the legal deeds for the public forest land, that an open pit NorthMet sulfide mine cannot proceed unless PolyMet identifies and the Forest Service accepts a land exchange, where the public would lose surface rights to the NorthMet site and receive rights to other land in exchange. A WaterLegacy research paper explains the need for a land exchange prior to permitting of the PolyMet strip mining project and summarizes the land exchange process.
The Forest Service has proposed that several different parcels would be exchanged for approximately 6,650 acres that PolyMet would like to own. The details about the specific parcels are described on the Forest Service website.
WaterLegacy has reviewed the proposed land exchange for the PolyMet project and applicable law. We have concluded that the proposed exchange would violate federal statutes and laws, would conflict with the Forest Plan for the Superior National Forest, would be contrary to the public interest, would create a huge windfall for the PolyMet Company and would cause irreparable harm to wetlands, water quality, tribal rights and resources and habitat for endangered species.
Before the land exchange can proceed, the Forest Service must complete an environmental impact statement (EIS) investigating the impacts of the exchange. This is being rolled into the Supplemental Draft EIS already being prepared by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to correct flaws and gaps in the DEIS released for public comment in November, 2009. A “Scoping Process” will determine what goes into this SDEIS. Public Comments will influence the scope of the EIS, and this is the subject of current comments.
Why are your comments critical?
- Without the land exchange, PolyMet's open pit mine can't go forward.
- Public comments are one of the factors courts look at when reviewing the sufficiency of environmental review.
- Issues not included in the scoping process will not be analyzed in the Final EIS.
- The EIS must accurately account for ALL damages to our forests, wetlands, rivers, and lakes resulting from the land exchange, including those caused by acid mine drainage and heavy metal leaching.
- The land exchange would create a private windfall for the PolyMet company, while creating a huge, long-term financial and pollution liability for the public.
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- To express concern about the land exchange and ensure that a thorough environmental and financial review is done, contact Thomas Hale, 559-920-7748 thale@fs.fed.us
October 23rd, 2009 | 
Anonymous
