FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 2018
Contact: Margaret Levin, margaret.levin@sierraclub.org
Minneapolis– At the state and federal levels, major steps backward would put the profits of multinational mining corporations over the future of Minnesota’s clean water. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced the issuance of the air and water permits for the proposed PolyMet sulfide mine near Hoyt Lakes. At the national level, the scandal-plagued Department of Interior announced that it will illegally renew the mineral leases for the proposed Twin Metals sulfide mine.
Sierra Club North Star Chapter Director Margaret Levin issued the following statement in response:
“The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s decision to issue air and water permits for PolyMet is deeply disappointing. The agency’s failure to take PolyMet’s even larger and riskier mine plan into account further calls the permitting process into question. As we carefully review the permits, we will continue to pursue all avenues for ensuring that Minnesota’s clean water and communities are protected.
“The Trump Administration’s action to unlawfully renew mineral leases for Twin Metals goes against the will of Minnesotans, basic science, and the facts in the record. We condemn this decision, which further cements the administration’s dark vision of sacrificing future generations for corrupt corporate cronyism.
“From Lake Superior to the Boundary Waters, Minnesota’s internationally significant resources – and the people and communities that depend on them -- deserve better.
“The Sierra Club will continue to stand alongside northern Minnesota’s downstream communities, tribal leaders, businesses and concerned residents as they confront the threat of toxic sulfide mining throughout the region, and ensure that our irreplaceable clean water and natural resources are protected for generations to come.”
Read more about our mining work here: https://www.sierraclub.org/minnesota/mining
