MINING

Feds move to advance two controversial mining projects in northern Minnesota

Dan Kraker / MPR News — Sat, 03 May 2025 22:00:00 GMT

Two moves this week — one by Congress, one by the Trump administration — seek to help pave the way forward for two controversial mining projects in northeast Minnesota: Twin Metals outside Ely, and NewRange Copper Nickel near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes on the Iron Range.

Late Thursday, the House Committee on Natural Resources published its portion of the budget reconciliation bill, a budget tool House Republicans are using that enables Congress to bypass the 60-vote threshold normally required to pass a bill in the Senate.

The draft language includes a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber to rescind a 20-year mining moratorium that covers a large swath of federal land south of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, including the area southeast of Ely along Birch Lake where Twin Metals proposes to dig its underground mine.

The proposal would also reinstate two federal mineral leases to Twin Metals that the Biden administration had revoked. And it would eliminate the ability of environmental groups, tribes and other mining opponents to sue to try to stop the mining projects.

The House Natural Resources Committee meets on Tuesday to vote on the language. Eventually, the House budget committee will assemble all the drafted legislation from committees into one large legislative package.

If the language is included in the reconciliation package, it would only require a simple majority vote to pass in the Senate, not the typical 60 votes.

That’s significant because Democrats in that chamber would likely line up against the measure. U.S. Sen. Tina Smith recently introduced legislation to place a permanent ban on mining on the roughly 225,000 acres of Superior National Forest land currently covered by the moratorium.

“Republicans are treating our most precious wild places as nothing more than opportunities for industry to plunder, profit and pollute,” said Ashley Nunes, public lands policy specialist at the Center for Biological Diversity.

Meanwhile, the "National Energy Dominance Council," established by the Trump administration via executive order in February, has now designated NewRange Copper Nickel’s Northmet project as a priority for federal permitting.

NewRange, formerly known as PolyMet, is a planned open pit mine for copper, nickel and precious metals that was first proposed to state and federal regulators in 2004. It received final approvals more than five years ago, but since then two key state permits have been put on hold, and a federal permit was revoked, following court challenges.

The Trump administration has now labeled NewRange a “Transparency Project,” under an executive order signed in March aimed at increasing domestic mineral production.

The project's listing on the federal government’s new permitting dashboard indicates that a new permitting timetable for the project will be posted in two weeks.

NewRange said it plans to submit an updated federal wetlands permit — known as a Section 404 permit — to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in September. The company said the application would include “new mining technology and sustainability practices.”

In the last two years NewRange has launched several studies to analyze different aspects of its mine plan, after the Army Corps rescinded the project’s wetlands permit following a lawsuit by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, which argued the project would violate the Band’s water quality standards downstream from the proposed mine.

“NewRange’s inclusion on the federal Transparency List recognizes the urgency of bringing domestic projects like ours into operation, while ensuring responsible development that meets the highest environmental performance and sustainable design standards to safeguard our water quality for generations to come,” said NewRange president Tannice McCoy.

Regardless of what happens at the federal level, Minnesota officials will have a critical voice in deciding whether Twin Metals and NewRange ultimately move forward.

Any mining project in Minnesota must undergo an extensive environmental review process and secure several state permits from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency — in addition to federal review and permitting.

Six years ago, the Minnesota DNR opted to conduct its own environmental review when Twin Metals submitted its first mining proposal, rather than opting for a joint state-federal review.

“I call on the Walz Administration to follow the science and the law, while recognizing the need for good-paying jobs and the demand for these incredible resources we have right here at home,” said Stauber about the NewRange proposal.

“This project is a win-win for Minnesota.”

But environmentalists and conservation groups don’t see it that way.

“Rep. Stauber is trying to sneak this wildly unpopular bill into the reconciliation process,” says Chris Knopf, executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness. “This is the mining industry’s dream bill, and it has nothing to do with the budget.

“This is radical legislation that would not only blot out critical clean water protections and give away public land,” Knopf adds, “but by blocking any kind of judicial review, would gut our constitutional government.”

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This story was originally published on MPRNews.org.

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Transportation, steelworkers and public safety: This week in the Minnesota Legislature

Mary Murphy — Fri, 02 May 2025 17:26:37 GMT

ST. PAUL — Lawmakers officially moved into their last month of session this week. Budget bills are being voted off the Senate and House floors, where leaders will soon take their budget proposals to conference committees to hash out differences Gov. Tim Walz.

House passes transportation budget

The Minnesota House passed its Transportation budget on Monday, April 28 in an 85-49 vote following two hours of debate.

The bill, HF2438, allocates $476 million in spending for the 2026-27 budget — meeting its budget target of zero net increases. The transportation bill was negotiated by co-chairs Rep. Jon Koznick, R-Lakeville, and Rep. Erin Koegel, DFL-Spring Lake Park.

“Obviously, we have a divided-balance Legislature and this bill reflects that,” Koznick said on the floor Monday. “We are also … facing a $6 billion deficit. And so we had to dig a little bit deeper into the numbers to do some great work with a zero target. We’re pulling the plug on some failed projects to save taxpayers millions of dollars and then reinvesting those dollars.”

The bill increases funding for the Blatnik Bridge in Duluth, $650 million, $454 million in state road construction and $50 million to the resilient pavement program. The bill makes cuts to the Metropolitan Council transit system operations at $40 million Greater Minnesota transit at $12 million and the Office of Traffic Safety Drug Program at $6 million.

Democrats on the floor attempted to introduce a few amendments, including to eliminate the bill’s delay for meeting greenhouse gas emissions goals from 2027 to 2028.

“I think that this bill is not quite as balanced as we'd like to think, because I think a lot of it is in the past and not looking towards the future,” Koegel said on the floor Monday.

Laid-off steelworkers win unemployment insurance

A bipartisan amendment to give unemployment insurance to recently laid-off steelworkers was successfully added to the Senate Jobs and Labor budget bill on Tuesday.

The amendment, co-authored by Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, and Sen. Rob Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, extends unemployment protections for steelworkers recently laid off.

Over 600 steelworkers on Minnesota’s Iron Range will be laid off as Cleveland-Cliffs announced in late March plans to temporarily close its Minorca Mine in Virginia and partially idle Hibbing Taconite, citing a surplus of taconite pellets caused by decreased steel demand in 2024.

“There’s an old saying on the Range that when the U.S. economy sneezes, the Iron Range catches a cold, and right now, we’ve caught a bad cold,” Farnsworth said on the floor Tuesday. “Layoffs like these hit the Range hard; many of these workers don’t know when or if they’ll be called back. In the tradition of what we’ve done for decades, we’re making sure these workers have the support they need to stay here and be ready when the mines restart.”

The unemployment protections were originally introduced in a standalone bill earlier this year — the Minnesota Miners Relief Act. The amendment allows steelworkers laid off between March 15 and June 15 to be eligible for up to 26 additional weeks of support through the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund.

“When our miners are laid off, it doesn’t just impact their families — it threatens the economic fabric of the entire Iron Range,” Hauschild said in a statement after passage. “This amendment gives laid-off workers at Minorca and HibTac a critical lifeline while we fight to restart production and secure the future of mining in our region.”

Senate passes Judiciary and Public Safety budget

The Minnesota Senate passed a $3.84 billion Judiciary and Public Safety budget Wednesday in a 34-32 vote. The bill, SF1417, authored by Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, includes funding boosts for victim services, law enforcement training and judicial staffing.

“This budget reflects our commitment to a criminal justice system that protects Minnesotans, addresses serious crimes, and supports our partners in public safety,” Latz said in a statement following passage. “It’s a responsible approach with smart, targeted investments.”

The budget includes over $106 million in new spending for fiscal years 2026-27, and funds initiatives such as the Philando Castile Memorial Training Fund and expanded benefits for families of fallen officers.

Eleven amendments were adopted during Wednesday’s seven-hour floor debate, including restoring expiring police training funds and increasing oversight of violence prevention grants. Republicans unsuccessfully pushed an amendment that would target provisions surrounding sentencing guidelines and early release.

Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, lead Republican on the Judiciary and Public Safety Committee, said in a statement after passage that he is glad his caucus added funding for law enforcement officers and “held nonprofit organizations accountable.”

“Unfortunately, this bill continues a troubling pattern from Democrats of letting more violent criminals out of prison early,” Limmer said. “That policy is going to make our communities much less safe and put innocent families at risk.”

Bills in motion

SF3229: The Senate Labor Committee heard a bill that would create bargaining rights for Uber and Lyft drivers on Thursday. The bill was laid over for later consideration.

HF3220: The House Capital Investment Committee heard a bill Tuesday that would fund secure lock boxes at schools to allow law enforcement access to schools in an emergency. The committee heard the bill on an informational basis and took no action.

SF856: The Senate Finance Committee heard a bill to establish the Office of the Inspector General on Thursday. The bill was laid on the table and will be heard again on Tuesday.

Gov. Tim Walz signs seven bills into law

HF124: Permits certain public safety officers and state agencies to receive gifts that honor or commemorate a public safety officer related to a line-of-duty death.

HF1792: Modifies contracts for deed, with a focus on those involving "investor sellers" to prevent predatory practices such as churning.

HF2184: Exempts the Office of Ombudsperson for American Indian Families from paying court fee requirements in certain cases, such as child custody matters, marriage dissolution and guardianship of a minor.

HF747: Modifies the Minnesota Business Corporation Act, such as procedures in the event of an emergency and limitations on a board’s authority to manage a corporation.

HF1058: Amends the jurisdiction of the North Koochiching sanitary sewer board.

HF129: Requires the state’s director of Child Sex Trafficking Prevention to submit a report every other year to the Legislature and the Minnesota Department of Health evaluating the Safe Harbor program.

HF1346: Enforces training requirements for mandated reporters, such as medical professionals, attorneys, mental health professionals and social workers to better identify signs of child abuse.

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Minnesota lawmakers consider extended unemployment benefits for laid-off steelworkers

Mary Murphy — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 18:51:59 GMT

ST. PAUL — Minnesota lawmakers are considering bills to extend unemployment insurance for steelworkers affected by recent layoffs.

The “Minnesota Miners Relief Act,” HF3030/SF3216, would extend 26 weeks of unemployment insurance for steelworkers laid off between March 15 and June 15, according to bill language. The bill does not have an official fiscal note, but authors estimated in a Wednesday, April 2, press release that it would cost $10 million to $12 million.

House sponsor of the bill Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, said at a press conference Wednesday the bill is motivated by Cleveland Cliffs announcing in late March plans to lay off roughly 630 steelworkers as a result of temporarily closing its Minorca Mine in Virginia, and also partially idling part of Hibbing Taconite.

The Minnesota Miners Relief Act stalled in committee Wednesday. Democrat members said they were concerned the bill would also seek to amend site-specific standards for sulfites and safe storage for reactive mine waste, on top of unemployment benefits.

A separate bill, HF3023, authored by Rep. Pete Johnson, DFL-Duluth, proposes the same unemployment insurance benefits but without the extra environmental provisions of the Minnesota Miners Relief Act. HF3023 passed unanimously through the House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee on Thursday and now heads to Ways and Means.

“We saw today that there is broad bipartisan support behind extending unemployment insurance benefits to the impacted workers on the Iron Range. The environmental policies brought before the committee this week are important too, but these proposals should stand on their own,” Johnson said in a statement. “Moving this bill forward is the process working as it should. Working together, we can deliver this support to the Iron Range soon.”

Sen. Robert Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, co-author of the bill in the Senate, said at a press conference Wednesday that the extra provisions in the Minnesota Miners Relief Act are aimed at supporting mining in the long term in addition to the short-term effects of the layoffs.

“We really need to take care of this sulfide standard,” he said. “They need to get this done, because it's a bleak picture if we don't do this. There are six taconite mines, one currently being built on the Iron Range, and I don't see a future for any of them.”

Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, said during the bill’s hearing Wednesday that his Democrat colleagues support extending unemployment benefits to steelworkers but that the extra provisions on sulfite standards and safe storage in the bill raise “significant environmental concerns.”

“I'm troubled by and confused by the combination of issues here,” he said, recommending that the bill move through the House’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

The Minnesota Miners Relief Act received its first hearing Wednesday morning in the Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Committee and was laid on the table.

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Cleveland-Cliffs to idle one mine and ‘partially idle’ another, company says

Jimmy Lovrien — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 20:32:49 GMT

HIBBING, Minn. — Cleveland-Cliffs said it would temporarily idle two of its Iron Range mines and pellet plants and lay off 630 workers.

The iron ore mining and steel-making company said it would idle its Minorca Mine in Virginia and "partially idle" Hibbing Taconite in Hibbing, Cliffs spokesperson Pat Persico said in a statement Thursday morning.

"These temporary idles are necessary to re-balance working capital needs and consume excess pellet inventory produced in 2024," Persico said. "630 employees will be impacted following the completion of the 60-day WARN period. We remain committed to supporting our employees and communities while monitoring market conditions."

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires employers with more than 100 employees to give a 60-day notice to workers if a plant is closing or a layoff affects 50 or more employees.

Earlier in the day, State Sen. Grant Hauschild, D-Hermantown, said in a news release that in addition to excess pellets, the automotive industry, which Cliffs supplies with steel, faces a downturn.

"(Hauschild) is told that temporary idles, and layoffs are necessary to re-balance working capital needs and consume excess pellet inventory produced in 2024," Hauschild's office said. "The automobile industry is facing one of the most challenging economic conditions in recent history and the Iron Range supplies much of the pellets necessary for that industry."

The Trump administration has imposed, then delayed, 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. The levies, expected to take effect April 2, could drive up the price of vehicles and disrupt the industry's cross-border supply chains.

Auto dealers and the United Auto Dealers are bracing for layoffs thanks to the trade war, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.

Cliffs mines and processes iron ore in Northeastern Minnesota and Michigan's Upper Peninsula and ships its iron to its steel mills further down the Great Lakes. The auto industry buys a significant portion of its steel.

“This is tough news today," State Sen. Robert Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, said in a news release. "I have been in touch with Cleveland Cliffs leadership as well as union officials, and we are working together to take care of the employees and their families.

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Watermark to host reception for 'The Rhythm of the Hill Annex Mine' exhibit

Pioneer Staff Report — Wed, 08 Jan 2025 15:16:32 GMT

BEMIDJI — Watermark Art Center will hold an Artist Reception for Aaron Squadroni at the opening of his exhibit "The Rhythm of the Hill Annex Mine" from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10, at Watermark, 505 Bemidji Ave. N.

Squadroni will speak at 6 p.m. about his artwork and his connection to the Hill Annex Mine State Park in Calumet, Minn.

"As I walked past piles of rock and layers of earth, I considered the passage of time and the rhythms of the landscape: of dynamite and removal, of water and sediment, of grasses and underbrush, of birches and pines, of birds and nests, of people and land," Squadroni said in a release.

"In this series, I am using a steel brush to create my drawings," Squadroni explained in the release. "And in these drawings are my reflections on the old mine and its rhythms of passing away and beginning again."

The event and Watermark galleries are free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

For more information, contact (218) 444-7570 or visit WatermarkArtCenter.org.

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After years of delays, revived taconite mine offers new economic hope on Minnesota’s Iron Range

Dan Kraker / MPR News — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 12:53:00 GMT

NASHWAUK, Minn. — A controversial $2 billion-plus mining project on Minnesota’s Iron Range that has weathered an economic recession, missed deadlines and payments, bankruptcy, changes in ownership, three gubernatorial administrations and a high-stakes legal battle with a competitor now appears to be moving toward completion, 15 years after construction first began.

Last month at the Mesabi Metallics mine site outside the small town of Nashwauk, 400 workers milled about, over mud stained a rich red from the iron in the earth.

Towering cranes placed steel on enormous buildings where — if all goes to plan — millions of tons of iron ore will soon be dug out of the ground, crushed, processed and then baked in super-hot kilns into high grade taconite pellets, to help supply a new generation of American steel mills.

“We actually have about $550 million worth of steel and parts that are being installed as we speak,” said Mesabi Metallics chief operating officer Larry Sutherland during a tour of the sprawling 16,000-acre site.

“We have about $1.8 billion invested to date, with about another $500 to $600 million to go,” Sutherland added. “So all in we'll be about a $2.5 billion investment, which is one of the largest capital investments in the history of Minnesota.”

It’s a remarkable turnabout from nine years ago, when the project, owned by Indian company Essar Steel, ran out of cash with the mine half-built. The company owed tens of millions of dollars to contractors and to the state after several missed deadlines and unkept promises. Five years ago Gov. Tim Walz even tried to ban Essar from the state.

Then Minnesota officials yanked key state-owned mineral leases critical to the project, and last year awarded them to rival mining company Cleveland Cliffs.

But despite all those setbacks, Mesabi officials are vowing to complete the massive project within a year. And local residents and officials are cheering them on.

It was standing room only at a recent community meeting at the Nashwauk town hall, where Mayor Cal Saari proclaimed an “Appreciation Day” for Mesabi Metallics and presented the company with a key to the city.

“I’m telling you, in Itasca County, happy days are here again,” said Saari.

Rich ore

Mining companies have eyed the iron ore deposits at the Mesabi site for decades, in an area called the Butler Corridor between Nashwauk and Calumet, where Sutherland estimates there’s 2 billion tons of crude ore still underground.

Sutherland began his career as an 18-year old union millwright at Butler Taconite, a small mine that operated for nearly two decades in the area before it shut down in 1985.

He went on to lead U.S. Steel’s operations on the Iron Range. Now, 50 years after his first job in the industry, he's relishing the chance to help build a new mine from scratch.

Inside the 10-story tall concentrator plant under construction, he pointed out huge rotating mills some 40 feet across that will grind the iron ore into a fine powder.

“This is happening,” Sutherland said. “There’s no more questions about the viability of this project. It's fully financed by our owner, and it's moving forward to completion.”

The company intends to produce specialized taconite pellets that can be used to create a high-grade product called direct reduced iron to feed electric arc furnaces. Those are more modern, flexible and efficient steel mills that are increasingly replacing the giant blast furnaces located around the Great Lakes.

Sutherland said Essar Steel, Mesabi’s owner, is now debt-free after paying off $26 billion in debt over the past few years.

It’s a far cry from 2016, when Essar declared bankruptcy just before former Gov. Mark Dayton tried to turn over the project to rival miner Cleveland Cliffs.

“Who wants to do business with a company that behaves like this?” Dayton asked, after Essar failed to repay $66 million it owed the state for providing infrastructure to the mine site.

“I'd rather they sell it to somebody who's going to operate it in a responsible way, where you shake hands at the end of a meeting, and they're going to keep their word,” Dayton said.

It was a devastating turn of events to local and state officials who backed the project, in large part because Essar promised to not only build a mine, but also the first steel mill to be located on the Iron Range.

But after a couple years and following a complicated legal tussle, Essar eventually regained control of the project, now renamed Mesabi Metallics.

Sutherland, who came on board three years ago, said Essar has repaid contractors, and ramped up work early this year.

State officials confirmed the company is up to date on its repayment plan with the state.

“We realize this project has some history,” Sutherland said at the Nashwauk town hall. “That history is behind us.”

“If anyone thinks we don't have the bandwidth to move this facility forward,” he added, “watch and see.”

While the focus is on completing a mine and pellet plant, Sutherland said there’s still a possibility of building a value-added iron plant on site, which could help make a more climate-friendly, lower-carbon steel.

The unions whose members are building the project say the focus now should be on finishing the project, not fighting over the past.

“It’s the thousand construction jobs, 700 indirect jobs, 350 multigenerational jobs. We need that on the Iron Range,” said Jason Quiggin, president of the Iron Range Building Trades, during a visit to the state capitol earlier this year.

Local officials say the family that owns Essar has rebuilt trust through regular meetings. Nashwauk Mayor-elect Gary Heyblom said they’ve developed genuine friendships. The company has also donated nearly a half million dollars to local organizations since last year.

“They’re wanting to correct the mistakes of the past,” Heyblom said.

Lease battle

Mesabi suffered a major setback a couple years ago when Minnesota officials yanked 2,600 acres of state-owned mineral leases critical to the project, after a series of unmet requirements. Then last year the state awarded those mineral rights to Cleveland Cliffs.

Cliffs wanted the ore to extend the life of nearby Hibbing Taconite. The company is running out of iron ore to mine at the facility, which supports more than 700 jobs. But it also significantly shortened the lifespan of Mesabi's project.

“Their project went at that point in time, from a project that arguably could have been 20 years plus, to something that shrunk down, depending on how rapidly someone mines… to a six to eight year kind of window,” said Joe Henderson, director of the division of lands and minerals at the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

But now, in an ongoing court battle, Mesabi appears to have wrested control of a different 3,200 acres of mineral leases from Cliffs.

Henderson said that could drastically change the math of Mesabi’s project.

“If that court ruling sticks, that just brought, arguably, easy a decade or more of ore back into a Mesabi-Essar project,” Henderson said.

Sutherland said with those additional leases, the Mesabi project could extend 40 to 50 years.

It’s unclear what impact the tussle over mineral leases will have on the future of Hibbing Taconite. The area is now a checkerboard of mineral ownership, which Henderson said can create headaches for mining companies trying to connect the different parcels they control.

Cleveland Cliffs had submitted a plan to the DNR to mine the 2,600 acres it obtained from the state last year, and construct a 14-mile rail line to transport the ore to Hibbing Taconite.

But after the recent ruling in favor of Mesabi for the 3,200 acres, Henderson said Cliffs has paused the project.

“And so they haven’t withdrawn the project, but they're not moving forward on it at this point in time,” Henderson said.

Cliffs didn’t respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile Mesabi must also secure an updated permit to mine from the DNR, as well as amended environmental permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, before it can move forward with its project.

Henderson said the agency is also weighing whether the project requires a fresh environmental review, since the footprint of the mine proposal has now changed.

That decision could impact Mesabi’s aggressive timeline. Sutherland said their goal is to finish construction by the end of next year.

If that happens, a project that has so far delivered only unmet promises, could ship its first railcars of ore by early 2026.

This story was originally published on MPRNews.org.

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Range Republicans oppose deal to sell state land in BWCAW to feds

Jimmy Lovrien — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 21:25:49 GMT

DULUTH — Republican state lawmakers from the Iron Range oppose a proposed deal to sell approximately 80,000 acres of state-owned school trust land scattered throughout the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to the federal government, which already controls the area.

The five legislators instead said the state should exchange its land within the BWCAW for federal land outside the wilderness.

Last month, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Office of �� Trust Lands proposed selling the land and said it was considering buying other school trust land outside the BWCAW from the environmental nonprofit The Conservation Fund. �� trust lands are intended to support Minnesota school districts by generating revenue from mining and timber harvesting on the land, but both activities are banned within the BWCAW, leaving the state unable to use the land locked in the wilderness for its designated purpose.

In an Aug. 15 letter to DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen, the five Republican lawmakers argued the proposal would violate federal law, which requires state or private land to be exchanged for federal land of equal value instead of sold, and that additional, active school trust lands would generate more ongoing funds for schools than a one-time sale.

"While the price of the proposed land sale is still not known, any one-time payment pales in comparison to ongoing revenues that would be generated for the Permanent �� Fund if these lands are exchanged for federally owned lands where economic activity may occur," the lawmakers wrote.

State Rep. Roger Skraba, R-Ely, led the letter, which was signed by State Reps. Ben Davis, R-Merrifield, and Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, and State Sens. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, and Robert Farnsworth, R-Hibbing.

In a statement Friday, the DNR stood by its agreement to sell the land.

"The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources believes that the agreement between state and federal partners upholds Minnesota’s fiduciary responsibility to generate income for the Permanent �� Fund and helps to provide a continual source of funding for Minnesota’s K-12 schools," the agency said.

Under the agreement, the state would remove the school trust designation from the 80,000 acres before the federal government purchased the land with Land and Water Conservation Funds.

The proposal to sell the state land replaced a plan introduced in 2012 that would have seen the state give the land to the federal government in exchange for federal land outside the BWCAW that the state would then use as school trust land.

While environmental groups hailed the decision to sell, some mining and logging interests wanted a total land exchange to transfer more federal land into state control, potentially easing access for mining and logging companies.

With the land exchange called off, the U.S. Forest Service is looking to buy 15,000 acres of land in the Superior National Forest, but outside the 1.1-million acre BWCAW, from The Conservation Fund.

The DNR has previously said it is consulting with the U.S. Forest Service, tribes and counties for the possible purchase of other school trust lands outside the BWCAW from the same group.

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Using earth-shaking 'vibe trucks,' company hopes to zero in on Minnesota's helium reservoir

Jimmy Lovrien — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:56:00 GMT

DUNKA LAKE ROAD — On a remote gravel road in northeast Minnesota, between Babbitt and Isabella, a 62,000-pound truck lowered itself onto a steel plate and started vibrating, sending low-frequency energy waves into the ground.

Ripples formed in a nearby pothole puddle and rocks surrounding the plate danced a few inches off the ground. Observers could feel it at first, but that went away as the wave frequency increased. After 20-30 seconds, the vibration stopped and the truck lifted its plate, pulled 10 meters forward and restarted the process.

It would repeat that another 2,039 times — every 10 meters from one end of Dunka Lake Road to the other — each time next to a sensor measuring the waves and beaming data back to a computer station in a truck bed trailer called “The Doghouse.” The terabyte or so of data can then be processed into a vertical cross-section revealing what’s below the road.

“So it starts out really low,” said Jeff Hislop, a geophysical client representative with Evergreen Geophysical overseeing the seismic study and its two Vibroseis Trucks, also known as “vibe trucks." “And then it goes up in frequency, and we want to make sure that’s repeatable.”

The study was commissioned by Pulsar Helium, which is hoping to extract helium from a reservoir discovered partway down Dunka Lake Road.

The company can locate fractures or fissures beneath the surface by sending waves into the subsurface and measuring how they reflect and bounce around. These areas can trap helium, which forms when uranium and thorium break down.

While Pulsar is confident the concentration of helium at its Topaz Project well is among the highest in North America, with recent tests showing concentrations of up to 14.5%, it is still working to estimate the volume of the helium reservoir.

Jack Gibbons, a senior geologist at Pulsar Helium, said recent flow tests also yielded positive results. Coupled with the seismic study, the company will have a better grasp of the amount of helium and where it could potentially place additional wells.

The company estimates it could pump helium out of the one well for approximately 10-15 years, separating it from other gases like carbon dioxide on-site and filling a truck with helium every other day. Gibbons said the helium could then be trucked to somewhere like Two Harbors for additional refinement.

Depending on the resource estimate, the company could drill more wells.

“We’re looking at other wells as we can. … We’ve already targeted a few of those,” Gibbons said.

That includes pursuing nearby state leases, Gibbons said.

The existing well is on private property and private leases. It was discovered accidentally in 2011 when a drill crew from Duluth Metals, a precursor to copper-nickel mining company Twin Metals, was searching for platinum-palladium minerals in the Bald Eagle Intrusion but hit a gas pocket instead. Pulsar confirmed the presence of helium after drilling at the site in February.

Minnesota does not have an oil or gas industry, so exploration for gases like helium and hydrogen was not allowed on anything but private land.

However, in May, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill allowing gas leasing and exploration on state leases, generating money for Minnesota �� Trust Lands.

Keewaydin Resources Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Pulsar, expressed interest in July in applying for gas leases for state-owned minerals in Lake County, Joe Henderson, director of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource's division of land and minerals, confirmed in an email to the News Tribune.

However, Henderson said that because the law just went into effect, the DNR is not yet able to process lease applications.

“Since the legislation went into effect in July of 2024, the DNR is still in the very early stages of developing a lease application, hiring program staff, and developing the lease process to implement the new gas lease program,” Henderson said. “We have kept the Pulsar lease request and accompanying information on file for future reference as we work to develop our application process.”

The law also initiates a public rulemaking process to develop final rules for the industry. A production permit can't be granted until the rulemaking is complete, or if the Legislature approves temporary rules while the final rulemaking process plays out.

There’s a shortage of helium, which is used in everything from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, semiconductor manufacturing and leak testing, to air tanks for medical patients and deep-sea divers, and the aerospace and defense industries.

Helium is often a byproduct of the oil and natural gas industry, so the hydrocarbon-free source discovered in Minnesota is attractive for Pulsar.

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Closed 2 years for upgrades, famed Soudan Underground Mine reopens in May

John Myers — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 13:00:00 GMT

SOUDAN — Minnesota’s oldest and most famous underground mine will reopen for public tours in May after a $9.3 million restoration project kept it closed for more than two years.

The Soudan Underground Mine, now part of the Lake Vermilion/Soudan Underground Mine State Park, began operations in 1882 and produced massive amounts of high-grade iron ore until it closed in 1962.

Tours had been offered for years, but repairs were needed for the massive elevator system that takes up to 35,000 people annually down nearly a half-mile underground to the bottom level of the multi-level mine. The last tours before work began were in October 2021.

In March 2011, a fire occurred in the main shaft of the underground mine, in the lower 300 feet of the 2,400-foot mine shaft. The fire burned for 48 hours before it was extinguished by 70,000 gallons of fire-fighting foam. Equipment sparks from mine shaft maintenance ignited wood debris lodged behind the existing steel shaft liner. The fire then spread into the wood shoring.

In 2012, some 300 feet of the lower section of the shaft lining was replaced in an emergency repair. A larger project was needed to replace the 85-year-old degrading structural steel and concrete lining in the lower levels of the shaft.

Inside the shaft, structural steel acts as a skeleton to support the concrete lining. It also supports the rail and rollers for safely operating the cages transporting people into and back out of the mine. The steel sheeting lining the shaft was removed, the loose rock behind it in places was removed and/or shored up with concrete, and the shaft was relined. The skeletal steel structure was replaced.

In all, 866 cubic yards of rock and debris and 40,000 square feet of concrete and corrugated steel shaft lining were removed, while 2,000-pound steel beams and tons of concrete were transported into the shaft. The construction company built a temporary concrete plant and metal fabrication plant on-site.

The mine shaft restoration was completed in December, and new interpretive exhibits are coming to the visitor center this month. Tours will begin on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend.

“The Soudan Mine is a living memorial that honors all who immigrated to the iron ranges of Minnesota to seek a better life for themselves,” said Sarah Guy-Levar, interpretive services supervisor at the park. “We are eager to share the major improvements with our visitors and help people fully immerse themselves in the authentic experience of an underground miner.”

About the tours

The Soudan Underground Mine offers historic tours where visitors travel 2,341 feet — nearly one-half mile — underground in a refurbished cage-style elevator using authentic hoisting equipment, the same way miners got to work more than 60 years ago.

Once underground, participants board a train and ride nearly a mile to the deepest area of the mine, the last to see ore taken out in 1962. On the 90-minute tour, visitors hear true stories of the miners and learn firsthand about the working conditions that made this underground iron mine the safest of all the Iron Range mines.

Minnesota had 140 underground mines operating over the decades but mining operations eventually switched to less-expensive strip mining in open pits, especially after high-grade natural ore ran out and was replaced by taconite iron ore, which must be processed to make it usable in steelmaking.

The Soudan mine’s ore was so good, historians say, that nearly every piece of steel made by U.S. Steel between 1890 and 1940 had some Soudan ore in it.

If you go Tours are about 90 minutes. Check in at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time. The temperature of the mine is a cool, constant 51 degrees. Wear a warm jacket and sturdy boots or shoes. There are no restrooms underground. Claustrophobic? The 3-minute cage ride into the mine is in a dimly lit, closed, confined space. You will be kept with your family or group and always accompanied by staff. No purses, bags, backpacks or strollers are allowed underground. Other than the Walking Drift Tour, all mine tours are fully accessible. A powered wheelchair is available on a first-come, first-served basis. You may take photographs underground. The mine's surface buildings and over 7 miles of hiking trails are also available to explore. Per state park rules, rock and artifact collecting is not allowed. All artifacts must be left in the mine.

Rates

Adults, ages 13+: $15 Youth, ages 5-12: $10 Children under 5: Free, but a ticket is required

Tour schedule

Mine tours run daily from the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend through the end of September and Fridays and Saturdays through the third weekend in October. In the off-season, only educational and group tours are available. Those tours must be pre-arranged with the park.

These are popular tours and tickets often sell out. Advance reservations are highly recommended but not required. Reservations may be made in advance, up until 30 minutes before the tour. Please check in at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time. Reserve online or by calling 866-857-2757. To reserve an adult group or school tour, contact the park office at 218-300-7000 or email sarah.guy-levar@state.mn.us.

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Bill would limit mining activities in Rainy River Watershed

Jimmy Lovrien — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:42:45 GMT

ST. PAUL — A bill limiting mine waste storage and material processing activities in the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is expected to be introduced in the Minnesota Legislature.

The bill aims to ban the storage of tailings and reactive waste rock from the Rainy River Watershed and the mineral processing practices of smelting and heap leaching (using cyanide or other chemicals to separate metals from ore).

The bill is backed by the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters and is sponsored by State Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton, and State Sen. Kelly Morison, DFL-Deephaven, who is also running for Minnesota's 3rd Congressional District seat.

"This common-sense legislation would place into statute critical considerations around nonferrous mining that has the potential to pollute this ecological and recreational gem,” Feist said in a Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters news release ahead of a press event announcing the bill's introduction.

Its introduction comes less than a year after the DNR suggested the Legislature consider whether these four practices are "compatible with protection of the BWCAW" if placed in the Rainy River Watershed as part of a larger review of the state's nonferrous mining rules near the BWCAW.

As part of that review, the DNR determined that a wider buffer around the BWCAW would better shield wilderness from potential sound and light pollution and that existing air and water regulations were adequate.

Twin Metals, which wants to build an underground mine and processing facility near Birch Lake and within the Rainy River Watershed, declined to comment on the bill Wednesday, citing ongoing litigation.

"This legislation represents a 'solution' in search of a problem that simply does not exist," MiningMinnesota executive Julie Lucas said in a statement. "It also disrespects the integrity of our existing permitting and review processes that have already set incredibly high standards for any project."

Lucas said "unneeded barriers" should not be put up around minerals that could be used in the transition to renewable energy.

While Twin Metals' plans called for a dry-stacked method of tailings storage and backfilling its underground mine with waste rock, it did not plan to use heap leaching or smelting, according to its mine plan of operations.

The Biden administration effectively killed Twin Metals' plan by not renewing key mineral leases and then, in January, putting a 20-year pause on mining in 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest. A U.S. Forest Service study released in 2022 said hard rock mining in the watershed could cause pollution in the BWCAW.

But that withdrawal only applies to federal land in the watershed, so copper-nickel mining and mining activities like mineral exploration are still allowed on state lands in the Rainy River Watershed.

While this bill does not specifically target the act of mining in the Rainy River Watershed, bills to do just that have been introduced in previous sessions. But like other bills to restrict copper-nickel mining, it has not become law.

Morrison called this bill "a key stepping stone on the road to permanently protect the Boundary Waters."

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