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EPA letter good news for PolyMet

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Posted: Saturday, September 5, 2015 7:20 pm

Once again, as happens often with arguments of critics of the proposed copper/nickel/precious metals project on the Iron Range, it is hard to fathom their logic.

Opponents of the PolyMet venture, including some in the media on and off the Iron Range, hailed a letter from the Environment Protection Agency with recommendations on the company’s Preliminary Final Environmental Impact Statement as a testimonial in agreement with their views.

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Hardly. Just the opposite.

Yes, the letter said there is “potential” for a northward flow path from the mine site’s east pit. But in life, there’s potential for anything — nothing new there.

However, what matters in the EPA letter is that the agency said a number of very positive things about the PFEIS.

• The PFEIS “reflects many improvements to the project, and to the clarity and completeness of the environmental review.”

• Extensive discussions with co-lead and cooperating agencies “helped to resolve virtually all of our previous comments, and to review important questions about project modeling.”

• The adaptive management plan of PolyMet and the co-lead agencies to address “possible” northward flow issues is “an appropriate response to the possibility.”

PolyMet CEO/Director Jon Cherry said the EPA’s recommendations will “absolutely” be addressed and implemented.

That should be pretty good news for everyone closely watching the PolyMet issue.

Unless, of course, you are an opponent whose feelings will only be assuaged if the project, which will meet all environmental rules and regulations of state and federal agencies, is never built.

They don’t give a hoot about the hundreds of direct and spin-off and construction jobs that will be created on economically stressed Iron Range.

Pretty sad.