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PolyMet Mining (TSX:POM,NYSE MKT:PLM) reported that the preliminary final Environmental Impact Statement for its NorthMet project in Minnesota has been completed and is under review.
PolyMet Mining (TSX:POM,NYSE MKT:PLM) reported that the preliminary final Environmental Impact Statement for its NorthMet project in Minnesota has been completed and is under review.
As quoted in the press release:
The PFEIS incorporates more than 10 years of comprehensive environmental review and analysis of the PolyMet project, which comprises the NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals ore-body and the nearby Erie Plant, located near Hoyt Lakes in the established mining district of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has led the environmental review along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service as federal Co-lead Agencies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and three Minnesota Chippewa bands have participated as Cooperating Agencies. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has also been actively involved.
The PFEIS incorporates analysis of and responses to approximately 58,000 comments on the supplemental draft EIS which was published for public review in December 2013. The EPA issued comments on the supplemental draft EIS, which included an EC-2 rating, which is among the highest ratings that have been issued for a proposed mining project.
Once the Agency review has been completed, the final EIS will be published in the Federal Register and the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board Monitor, which PolyMet expects to be in about three months.
Publication of the final EIS and a subsequent adequacy decision by the MDNR and Records of Decision by the federal agencies are necessary before the agencies can take final action on the various permits required to construct and operate the NorthMet Project. PolyMet is preparing various mining, air and water permit applications, securing project financing and preparing for construction as the EIS and permitting process is completed.
PolyMet president and CEO, Jon Cherry, said:
Publication of the PFEIS is a significant milestone for the project and for the people of northeast Minnesota. PolyMet is committed to practices that are transparent, accountable and open in safeguarding the air, water, land and communities common to our operations. The PFEIS confirms that the state’s first copper-nickel mine can responsibly produce strategically important metals in a manner that is protective of natural resources and remediates legacy environmental impacts from historic mining operations.
Click here to read the PolyMet Mining (TSX:POM,NYSE,MKT:PLM) press release
