PolyMet Receives Permits to Mine

November marked a major milestone for industrial job creation in northern Minnesota. On November 1, 2018, the Minnesota DNR issued PolyMet a permit to mine, six water appropriation permits, two dam safety permits, a public waters work permits and an endangered species takings permit. While the issuance of these permits completes the DNR’s considerations for the NorthMet project, PolyMet must still receive air and water quality permits from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a wetlands permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and various other permits or approvals at the local level.

The permitting process required over a decade of hard work from the PolyMet team and many stakeholders. To show our support of PolyMet and the NorthMet project throughout the permitting process, APEX staff, investor-members and several key partners supplied letters of support and often spoke in favor of the project and the jobs it will create for our region. APEX investor-members fueled much of the activities through participation in the public comment process, providing a valuable pro-mining and pro-business voice that demonstrated that mining and the environment can and will coexist in northern Minnesota.

Many APEX investor-members will benefit from the opening of the NorthMet project, which will provide a significant boost to our local and state economies. Mining has a direct impact on many industries, including healthcare, retail, government, construction, tourism, accommodation, professional and technical. The NorthMet project will provide $515 million annually to the St. Louis County economy, creating approximately 1,000 direct and spin-off jobs, 360 of which will be employed by PolyMet directly.

While there is still quite a way to go, earning these DNR permits shows that PolyMet has overcome some of the project’s largest hurdles. APEX would like to congratulate PolyMet on this huge accomplishment and commend the DNR for their work in ensuring the project is safe for our state, our communities and our environment.