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I purchased 100,000 shares of Polymet in 1998. I purchased it as a speculative play for my retirement. I am an investor, not a trader, so I have not sold one share to date. I have waited 17 years, and I will continue to patiently wait for as long as it takes! I would like to see Polymet have a chance to mine on it's own, but I do expect a takeover. I keep reading that there could be a bidding war ($4.50 to $9.00 a share has been mentioned)between the major mining companies, for they fully understand the value and significance of what lies undeveloped.
CalciTech Consolidation of Shares
GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
December 31, 2014
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTF) announces that at the Annual General Meeting held on September 25, 2000, the Shareholders of the Company overwhelmingly approved a resolution that, if deemed advisable, the Board of Directors be authorised to carry out a share consolidation in preparation for any future change of listing. Following advice from the Company’s financial advisors, the Board passed a resolution on December 16, 2014 to proceed with a consolidation of the common shares of the Company on the basis of twelve thousand (12,000) pre-consolidation shares for one (1) post consolidation share (the "Consolidation").
Currently, a total of 200,933,204 common shares are issued and outstanding. Accordingly, upon the Consolidation becoming effective, a total of approximately 16,397 common shares will be issued and outstanding
The Company will mail letters of transmittal to the shareholders providing instructions on exchanging pre-Consolidation share certificates for post-Consolidation share certificates. Shareholders are encouraged to send their share certificates, together with their letter of transmittal, to the Company’s registrar, Computershare Trust Company of Vancouver, Canada in accordance with the instructions in the letter of transmittal.
The directors of the Company take responsibility for this announcement.
The directors of the company take responsibility for this announcement.
This press release contains "forward looking statements" including forward looking statements as that term is defined in section 27a of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and section 21e of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release, which are not purely historical are forward looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, expectation or intentions concerning the future. Forward looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to statements which are subject to a number of contingencies and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, market acceptance for CalciTech's products, manufacturing of CalciTech's products in a commercial setting, obtaining adequate financing and construction management for production and obtaining appropriate permits.
It is important to note that the corporation's actual outcomes may differ materially from those in forward looking statements contained in this press release. Although the company believes that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions will prove to be accurate. Readers should refer to the risks disclosures in the company's public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
PolyMet CEO optimistic on EIS
Mesabi Daily News 10/09/14
DNR commissioner: Document should be finalized in spring 2015
ST. PAUL — A top PolyMet official reacted optimistically Wednesday to an early spring 2015 completion date of an environmental impact statement for the company’s copper/nickel/precious metals project near Hoyt Lakes announced this week by the Minnesota DNR commissioner.
“We appreciate the tremendous amount of work and resources the agencies are devoting to ensure the final EIS is thorough and responds appropriately to the public comments on the draft EIS. There is an enormous amount of hard work going into this critically important final phase of the environmental review,” said PolyMet CEO and President Jon Cherry.
He was responding to a comment Monday from DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr at a meeting with Iron Range elected officials in Virginia organized by the Range Association of Municipalities and Schools.
“My goal is to have the EIS out the door early next spring,” Landwehr said.
The project is now in its ninth year of environmental review. Landwehr has previously called the draft EIS a “good document.”
Gov. Mark Dayton, in a recent Mesabi Daily News interview, said the PolyMet permitting process has gone on for too long, but quickly added it had “to be done right.”
Landwehr on Monday echoed his boss. He said it has to be done right because “there will be a lawsuit” at some point.
Landwehr also voiced a cautionary tone, saying getting to the final EIS “will require that a lot of things fall into place.”
But Cherry looked on his comments as hopeful.
“The commissioner’s stated goals give us optimism the EIS can be finalized by early spring and we can have permits in place during the 2015 construction season in northern Minnesota,” Cherry said.
The project will generate about 2 million construction hours over a 15-month period, with the venture creating more than 900 direct and indirect jobs and $515 million annually in economic benefits, according to PolyMet officials.
Editorial: ‘The minerals aren’t going anywhere’
Quote from Gov. Dayton sending a terrible message on jobs
“The minerals aren’t going anywhere.” — Gov. Mark Dayton, Mesabi Daily News Sunday, Sept. 28, interview story.
We found that to be a troubling response to a governor/reporter discussion of the proposed PolyMet Mine copper/nickel/precious metals project on the East Range.
Yes, the rich deposits of minerals that are in such demand worldwide are not going anywhere while under the ground.
However, the need for jobs on the Iron Range is also not going anywhere. It’s here and not going away. It’s seemingly forever with us because of an unemployment rate considerably much higher than that of the statewide average.
And it certainly won’t improve anytime soon with a comment from the state’s CEO that the minerals aren’t going anywhere.
It has now been nine years of environmental review of the PolyMet venture without a final resolution that would allow the project to move forward and create 360 permanent jobs, hundreds and hundreds more spin-off positions and more than 1 million hours of construction work.
And where is that review at now? Stuck in election year limbo as comments on the supplemental environmental impact statement are looked at and studied for far too long. It’s now been months for their review by co-lead agencies, which includes the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Gee, could a final decision on the EIS that would lead to permits for the project be on the slow track because the issue is controversial and the election is five weeks away?
It’s hard to believe otherwise. Yes, there are a lot of comments to go through — but a lot of them are duplicative.
Gov. Dayton has been consistent in his on-the-fence, middle-of-the-road public comments on PolyMet. But consistency doesn’t always equate with leadership.
And that’s definitely the case regarding the PolyMet project, which would usher in a new age of mining on the Iron Range.
Our concern is that a statement such as “... the minerals aren’t going anywhere” by the most prominent leader in the state sends a terrible, terrible message. It could easily be interpreted as a lack of interest to see the issue through to completion.
When a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings was controversial and being decided, the governor flat out said it was going to get done. And he played the prominent role in doing just that.
It would be nice — and long overdue — to hear the same resolute comment and action by the governor on PolyMet.
Long road remains for PolyMet EIS
Timberjay News - 9/24/14
8,000 distinct issues raised in comments
Marshall Helmberger
REGIONAL— More than six months since the closing of public comment on the PolyMet Mining’s proposed copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes, the Department of Natural Resources is still a few weeks away from fully categorizing all of the many thousands of comments that poured in from residents and organizations alike.
And while a coalition of environmental groups, known as Mining Truth, recently reported that 98.2 percent of the comments received by the DNR were opposed or critical of the mine proposal, DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said his agency’s task of analyzing the 58,000 letters and emails the agency received is far more complex, and more time-consuming, than simply determining pro or con.
In fact, he said, that’s not something the DNR typically considers. “It’s not a referendum on the project,” said Landwehrs in an interview late last week with the Timberjay.
“We will look at every comment, but the purpose is to refine the information that’s included in the final environmental impact statement,” he said. “Our goal is to identify the comments that are substantive. A lot of them are electronically-submitted form letters.”
But some comment letters contain hundreds of specific issues and concerns, and Landwehrs said it’s up to DNR officials to isolate out each individual statement, or comment, that deals with a specific issue and to place it in a separate “bucket.” So far, said Landwehr, the DNR has between 7,000-8,000 different buckets, each reflecting a unique issue that the agency will need to address as it begins the work of crafting a final environmental impact statement.
While mine supporters are eager to see that work completed, Landwehr urged patience and was unwilling to specify any timetable for finishing the job. While simply categorizing the flood of comments has already taken more than six months, the job of actually addressing all of the comments in a meaningful way could take substantially longer. “There are 8,000 unique comments. Even if a quarter of those have any meat to them, that’s a lot to address. I put that out so people understand the challenge we face,” he said.
Indeed, it’s by far the largest such undertaking in state history, and that makes it difficult for state officials to even estimate when the job might be completed. Landwehr was blunt: “We don’t know how long it will take. We can’t even say months.”
That’s true, in part, because addressing some of the comments may require more information than officials have gathered so far. “It would not surprise me if we have to find new information, or if some remodeling is required,” said Landwehr. “But that’s the purpose of the comments. We want to do this right.”
A long road
PolyMet began its formal environmental review process in October 2005, and at the time the company hoped to have the document completed within two years, with construction set to begin shortly thereafter. That original review effort, however, took longer than company officials had hoped. Then, its first draft EIS, released in 2009, ran into trouble with the federal Environmental Protection Agency, which rated the document unsatisfactory.
It was back to the drawing board for the company and the regulatory agencies overseeing the review. Another four years later, the company released what it called its Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or SDEIS, this past November. At the time, PolyMet officials projected they would have the final SDEIS in hand by mid-2014, with permits and mine construction to follow by the third or fourth quarter of the year.
That timeline has, once again, proven optimistic, and it now appears highly unlikely a final SDEIS will be issued before the second half of 2015, and possibly much later than that. Once a final SDEIS is issued, the agencies must provide a 30-day public comment period before they can issue a final determination of its adequacy. “Even if we find it’s adequate, that doesn’t mean the project is approved,” said Landwehr.
At that point, the company can begin to apply for permits, a process that, by itself, could still take many months, possibly years. The company’s latest published timeline projects it will complete permitting in the first half of 2015, with construction set to begin in the second half of the year, and with actual mining underway by the second half of 2016.
CalciTech Trades on Pink Sheets
Business Wire
CalciTech
May 2, 2014 4:33 AM
GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTF) announces today that due to the non-filing of the Company’s Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2013 by the April 30, 2014 deadline, its shares are now trading on the Pink Sheets sector of the OTC Market.
The Company reports that the delay in filing is a result of the audit for the year not having been completed in a timely fashion while the Company continues to negotiate the funding for its first plant in Piesteritz, Germany.
The directors of the Company take responsibility for this announcement.
Contact:
CalciTech Ltd.
Golnaz Asgarnia
golnaz@calcitech.com
Tel: +41 22 710 4020
www.calcitech.com
Proposed bill would kick EPA regulations to the curb in Minnesota
March 18, 2014Updated Mar 18, 2014 at 10:50 PM CDT
St. Paul, MN (NNCNOW.com) - A group of Minnesota lawmakers is proposing a bill that essentially nullifies the EPA's regulations. A significant number of lawmakers agree with this bill, but the reason behind their support is quite varied.
A brutally cold winter coupled with the propane shortage sent many Minnesotans scrambling to find alternate ways to stay warm.
One of those alternatives, wood burning stoves, became a hot commodity. But Republican Representative Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) says that could change under proposed Federal emissions standards targeting wood stove manufactures.
"Our constituents here on the local level get frustrated when Washington dictates what we do here," said Rep. Franson.
The new EPA standards would require wood stoves to burn cleaner emissions.
Representative Franson says that's what's fueling House File 3094.
The proposed measure declares the regulation authority of the EPA violates its own meaning and is invalid.
"It's a gesture to the public and to the EPA. Washington doesn't understand our way of life," Rep. Franson said.
But the bill isn't all about heat.
Representative Jason Metsa (DFL-Virginia) says he signed onto the bill following the EPA's approval of a water quality variance last year for Mesabi Nugget.
The environmental group, WaterLegacy, filed a lawsuit alleging the EPA violated the Clean Water Act.
Just last week the Department of Justice filed a motion asking that the EPA reverse its approval.
"There's been a lot of confusion. I think the whole way it was handled deserves to have a flare get sent up. It would be great if you can communicate with our state agencies before the press and other agencies," said Rep. Metsa.
The very broad legislation concerns environmentalists who say the bill could leave doors open.
"This seems to have PolyMet written all over it. The mining proponents aggressively attack any regulations, state or federal, that are going to harm this project," said John Doberstein, a volunteer with the North Star chapter of Sierra club, a group that promotes environmental protection.
Representatives Metsa and David Dill both say PolyMet didn't motivate the creation of this bill. They stress the legislation is merely a message to the Environmental Protection Agency to step back.
The Environmental Protection Agency says the new wood stove regulations won't impact wood burners already in use.
Representative Dill, the chair of the Environment and Natural Resources Policy committee, says it's unlikely the bill will be heard this legislative session.
Written by Kevin Jacobsen
Scale of PolyMet technology leads to more questions
News & Features Dan Kraker • Duluth, Minn. • Mar 9, 2014
When it comes to the technologies mining companies employ to scrape minerals out of the ground, process them, and safely dispose of the waste, everything is on an immense scale.
One wheel on a truck is twice as tall as an adult. The plant where PolyMet Mining plans to process the ore it digs up is a third of a mile long.
The tailings basin near Hoyt Lakes, where PolyMet would slurry its leftover waste is massive, stretching to the horizon.
"If you look off in the distance, the skyline that you see out there, that's tailings all the way out to the ridgeline," PolyMet CEO Jon Cherry said recently, as he stood atop old iron ore tailings more than 20 stories high.
The area, which includes the old LTV Steel taconite plant that operated for about half a century, today looks like a vast grassland covering two square miles. It marks the spot where PolyMet plans to build a huge copper mine in northeast Minnesota.
Minnesotans have until Thursday to comment on the environmental analysis of the proposed PolyMet mine, a huge document containing detailed plans on how the company would keep pollutants from the mine and tailings basin out of nearby lakes and rivers. That plan hinges on new technologies and engineering that PolyMet added after its last proposal was sharply criticized four years ago.
Along the north side of the vast tailings impoundment, the company plans to build a five mile long wall to capture water that runs through the tailings and picks up metals, sulfate and other pollutants. Company officials are confident the process will work.
"The cut off wall that we're putting in, that will go all the way down to bedrock," Cherry said. "Those type[s] of technologies have been around for some time. This isn't like a new technology that we're trying out for the first time here."
Similar walls have proven successful at mines from Montana to Alaska, and at landfills around the country.
But few have been built as large, said Dave Chambers, president of the Center for Science and Public Participation in Montana.
"The concern with the slurry walls that are that big," he said, [is] "are you going to be able to guarantee that you're going to be able to anchor that slurry wall in bedrock along that whole perimeter?"
Chambers said the bedrock could fracture beneath the wall when it's installed, which could allow water to seep through.
The state's environmental impact statement predicts the cut-off walls will capture all surface water and 90 percent of groundwater that flows through the tailings. While the mine is operating, much of that water will be reused. After it closes, it will be treated using a process called reverse osmosis.
For two years the company operated a pilot water treatment plant to test the technology, tucked away in a small warehouse in the Iron Range town of Virginia, Minn.
Spokeswoman LaTisha Gietzen said the water is pretreated before it's pushed through the reverse osmosis filters, inside stacks of long white tubes.
"Under pressure, you squeeze the water through a membrane, the clean water comes out," she said.
PolyMet added reverse osmosis to its plans to help meet a strict state standard that limits the amount of sulfate that can be discharged into wild-rice producing waters.
The Navy first developed the technology to strip salt out of seawater. It's used in desalination plants around the world, but is still rare in mining. One place it has been used successfully is Utah, where two plants scrub groundwater that's been contaminated with a plume of sulfate created by a giant copper mine called Bingham Canyon that's operated for over a century.
Douglas Bacon, an environmental scientist for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality said the technology has worked extremely well since it came on line in 2006. It takes water with a sulfate concentration of 60,000 parts per million and reduces the concentration to below the state drinking water standard of 500 parts per million.
"But it comes at a cost," Bacon said.
•The PolyMet mining damage deposit: A landlord's advice
It costs the Utah facility $1.2 million dollars a year to treat 1.14 billion gallons of water.
"It has a hefty maintenance cost, because you've got to protect the membranes, which are subject to fouling and scale build up and abrasion, thus they can be broken down fairly quickly," Bacon said.
Maintenance costs at the PolyMet site are forecast to run between $3.5 and $6 million per year, which includes the cost of water treatment, according to the project's draft supplemental environmental impact statement.
Mines also have to dispose of the sludge leftover from the filtration process. At the Utah plant, that makes up about a quarter of the water that is fed into the system. PolyMet officials say the mine will recover a much higher percentage of the water, so sludge will only constitute about 5 percent, which will get hauled to a landfill offsite.
For the most part, PolyMet's skeptics are pleased the company added reverse osmosis. But some are still concerned there hasn't been enough consideration of what happens if something fails during the decades or even centuries the treatment plants may have to operate. DNR officials say emergency scenarios have been included in its analysis and would be more directly addressed in the permitting process, after the environmental impact statement is finalized.
But Kathryn Hoffman, an attorney for the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, said the environmental impact statement fails to analyze a scenario in which the process breaks down.
"[The] DNR has described a mine that functions perfectly, exactly as intended, that has no problems whatsoever," she said. "They do so, and they find it won't violate the Clean Water Act, and that it will meet all applicable laws, but they don't explore scenarios in which something goes wrong."
However, she said, past experience indicates that typically a problem arises.
"Usually it's not because the mine was poorly planned," she said. "It's because something went wrong."
Jess Richards, director of lands and minerals for the DNR, said the lead agencies did plan for unforeseen circumstances. But that's not always easy to see within the environmental impact statement, he said.
"There's scenarios embedded in the science, and also the assumption in some of the sections that some things could go wrong," he said. "There need to be some adaptive management techniques taken to correct it."
Richards said emergency planning also will be included in the mine's permitting, if it reaches that stage. But that won't start until the environmental impact statement is finalized and approved.
EPA expected to comment on PolyMet study this week
Environment (MPR News) Elizabeth Dunbar • St. Paul, Minn. • Mar 9, 2014
Supporters and opponents of a controversial copper-nickel mining proposal are making one last push to get people to comment on the project's environmental study.
The Department of Natural Resources has already received 39,000 comments on PolyMet's supplemental draft environmental impact statement.
Those critical of the project have also been sending comments to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is expected to comment on the PolyMet study this week.
"And the goal basically is we just want to make sure the EPA knows that people are paying attention to their role in the process, too," said Aaron Klemz spokesman for Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, one of the groups behind the Mining Truth campaign. "Obviously the DNR is the key actor here in Minnesota, but the EPA's actions on the comments that they're required to file by statute are going to be really important for how people treat the document moving forward."
The EPA's comments four years ago led PolyMet to make several changes to the project.
PolyMet's supporters say they have been sending comments both to the DNR and elected officials.
DNR officials asked the public to comment on the technical aspects of the draft environmental impact statement.
But the DNR has also received thousands of comments from supporters and opponents hoping to sway future decisions on the proposal.
Mining supporters have gone beyond contacting the DNR, said Nancy Norr of Jobs for Minnesotans.
"We've encouraged our supporters as they submit written comments to the DNR to send a note to their local elected official, their federal delegation members as well as Governor Dayton. Certainly it's a regulatory process and the agencies have done a tremendous job, but we want our elected officials to understand the base of support exists for this project."
Mining opponents say more than 8,000 people have submitted comments through the Mining Truth website.
The last day to comment on the PolyMet study is Thursday.
Lawmaker's view: PolyMet will revitalize Iron Range
By: Sen. Dave Brown, Duluth News Tribune
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the proposed PolyMet mine site near Hoyt Lakes. PolyMet would like to reopen a former taconite mine for copper and nickel. Not knowing much about the mining industry in general, I was curious about the new jobs, tax revenue and other opportunities that could be generated for the state.
The staff members at PolyMet are lifelong Iron Rangers proud of their northern Minnesota mining heritage. They are avid outdoors enthusiasts who enjoy hunting, fishing and frequent trips to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. PolyMet has put together an experienced mining staff with strong and loyal employees who represent the best of Minnesota.
Refurbishing the PolyMet site will cost about $475 million and take about 2 million working hours. This is about the same as building Target Field, the new baseball stadium in Minneapolis. New jobs will be for carpenters, laborers, operating engineers and teamsters. Once the buildings and equipment are repaired and refurbished, the plant will have about 360 jobs that will pay $26 to $32 per hour year-round, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development. Over the 20-year life of this proposed project, it is estimated to generate $720 million in wages and benefits, $300 million in state and local government taxes and $10.3 billion for St. Louis County.
Obviously, all mining operations have environmental concerns. But as I noted earlier, many of the people currently working for PolyMet in Minnesota are Iron Rangers. I do not believe they would jeopardize their way of life and favorite pastimes.
The PolyMet mine’s water cannot flow into the Boundary Waters; to do so would be geographically impossible due to the watershed boundary. Many environmentalists are concerned about the sulfur and mercury content of water. PolyMet has worked with local tribal experts and local communities to adhere to a policy for strict water regulation. The company is constructing an on-site reverse osmosis system to purify water collected and reused during the mining and processing procedure before depositing it back into tailings ponds. PolyMet also would adhere to the 10-milligrams-per-liter sulfate standard and all other clean-air and water standards currently in state and federal statutes.
Due diligence is required for every industrial project, and I believe PolyMet is doing its best to ensure life on the Iron Range will not be tainted by this facility. I have serious doubts the third- and fourth-generation Rangers controlling the day-to-day operations of this mine knowingly would devastate their own backyard. This facility has the opportunity to revitalize the economy of the area, generating jobs that will give a spark of life to many of the small mining towns craving an influx of revenue.
The U.S. currently imports 100 percent of the nickel used in manufacturing from countries like Russia, where there is major pollution and mass environmental impacts. I think environmentalists can agree our Earth is much better off having nickel mined in the U.S., where we have some of the most stringent environmental standards in the world.
I hope Gov. Mark Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature realize the laws and industry regulations we have implemented are working and will ensure our children will be able to enjoy better air and water quality than I did as a child. To impose stricter regulations only will hinder Minnesota’s ability to capitalize on an industry that has done so much for the quality of life on the Iron Range.
Sen. Dave Brown of Becker is the Republican representative of District 15 in the Minnesota Legislature. He wrote this for the News Tribune.
Minn. House Minority Leader Tours PolyMet Site
Republican House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt toured the proposed PolyMet mine site Friday.
The company wants to do copper nickel mining near Babbitt and process the minerals in Hoyt Lakes.
It's been a contentious topic, with those opposed to the project saying it would hurt the environment. The group Mining Truth says they've gathered more than 12,000 signatures from every county in Minnesota. The group says the petition asks Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to ensure the environment will be protected in any copper-nickel mining project like the proposed PolyMet mine.
Rep. Daudt says he believe PolyMet has taken all the necessary steps thus far to prove they will protect the environment.
"Frankly I think it's reasonable that we will continue to protect the environment in Northern Minnesota," said Daudt. "Obviously our environment is a great asset to us, but at the same time I think we can also create the jobs that are so desperately needed in Northern Minnesota."
On the tour, PolyMet representatives told Daudt that the project would inject $1.4 million dollars per day into the local economy.
The public will be able to weigh in on the environmental review in a few months.
A wonderful "Letter To The Editor"
Letter To The Editor: Joe Baltich discussing the BWCA,economy, tourism and mining.
August 28, 2013 at 6:00am
Somebody from the Twin Cities wanted me to sign a petition banning sulfide mining. I couldn't help myself. These tourists need to know the other side of the story:
Geez, Dan. The whole town of Ely is economically collapsing. Last year (2012) 156 people were in the obituary and the New Year's Baby was born on Feb. 10. Resort bookings for May and June were substantially off and I'm pretty sure they will be down for July and August. The anecdotal estimate is that Ely business is OFF by about 25 - 30%. Boundary Waters Canoe Area use is in fairly steep decline. I should know, I've been an outfitter and resorter for my entire life in Ely. The parking lots at the entry points were rarely full, most seeing 25% occupancy for the majority of summer.
As America ages, nobody wants to come and sleep on a rock only to be restricted to paddling a canoe. They want to jump in a boat/snowmobile and go fishing without having the government breathing down their necks requiring permits, allowing dog sleds but not motors, no cans or bottles but 2 liter plastic bottles are OK. However, burning plastic is illegal. It is illegal to leave the BWCA to go shopping in Ely because it voids one's permit. These are only a smattering of the rules that the vast majority of twin cities tourists can't even get right so they laughably remain in constant violation of the laws they support so strongly. When they come from out of state, it's even harder to get them to comply.
So, Ely is slipping. Everything is for sale and nobody's buying. A liquor store that was successful since the early 70's has been up for sale for 5 years now. Nobody is even looking at the building. Another liquor store has the same story. A restaurant has been sitting empty for years on end, rotting, because no one will buy it. Back when the mines where humming along in the 60's and 70's it, too, was a successful business.
The first decline for Ely began in 1964 when the government closed 17 resorts under eminent domain. The mines were still running at full speed then so it was harder to notice. When the so-called "wilderness goldmine" came to be (final, most restrictive phase of the Boundary Waters law PL 95-495 in 1978), we began to witness the second decline as several resorts sold out again in a government buyout and closed their doors for good in the early 80's. With the introduction of the internet and electronic "toys" in the 90's, we began to see business drop off again. Then the economy began to really falter in the mid to late 2000's and we've lost an entire generation of young kids being brought to the woods to enjoy the outdoors. Their young parents were products of the internet and shopping malls. They didn't have the interest or the money to go and be uncomfortable in the Boundary Waters by Ely. Plus, with very aggressive advertising for the Disneylands and pampered cruises of the world to the well-connected online, we've lost some more ground. Some families simply can't afford anything and grow up like I did in Ely - rarely taking a vacation, ever.
Now, those of us remaining in Ely today are experiencing a graduating class of 45 kids when in 1979 it was 159. Those kids aren't sticking around. The median user age in the BWCA is 55. In another 5 years, where do you think that's going to be? How long will it be (realistically) before our out-of-shape 60-year-olds decide that going to Florida and sitting on the beach is more enjoyable than schlepping a wet #4 pack and a canoe over a portage? I've heard it many times by many of our idealistic tourists that they "plan" to be paddling the BWCA until they die. Right... We all know precisely how accurate that prediction almost always winds up to be in reality. People get old, they get injured, and they stop coming.
So, other than making a private and very temporary playground for older twin cities enthusiasts, what is your plan to see Ely survive? With Ely's average population aged 65 and older are you willing to pay substantially more in your personal taxes to keep Ely going? Will you contribute to keep the hospital operating, the roads to the entry points paved and maintained, and the schools open? How much extra are you willing to contribute to pay for law enforcement in the BWCA region? Meth use is on the rise in Ely and I'm sure, the entire region. How many more tax dollars are you willing to contribute to our area to fund dealing with this problem? Are you willing to quit your good-paying, twin cities area job as a master electrician and move to Ely to experience feast and famine personally? And how long will it be before you join the mass exodus out of town after you decide that making a living in Ely on tourism is a very difficult proposition requiring long hours and not a lot of pay, but with guaranteed uncertainty?
So, ponder these things as you sign petitions to protect your 5 day, essentially-free, BWCA vacation, driving on roads that we pay for, while being protected by emergency services that we pay for, and stopping in stores that we pay for. Your $100 spent in Ely stores isn't going to float them through the winter, but your support of twin cities opposition to everything happening in Ely is certainly going to hurt all of us here in the long run. Maybe we should all sign a petition to have your company shut down. I hear working 3 part time jobs, like many do in Ely, is loads of fun but it significantly cuts into one's vacation time.
Despite what the "environmental" detractors are spewing, we can have clean water and an underground mine located 3,000 to 4,000 feet underground. I bet you didn't know that it is not going to be an open pit but instead an underground mine.
We are in the year 2013, not the Dark Ages. The locals up here actually like being here far more than you. We've committed a lifetime here while eeking out a living when we could have just as easily moved to some metro area for better pay. Your signing a petition against our support of the project says to me that you somehow know more and have greater concern for our backyard that you visit once a year. That's shortsighted on your part and rather insulting to all the people here who mined the very same rock for 88 years prior to the inception of the BWCA in 1964. Ironically, the BWCA was chosen (after 88 years of virtually unchecked-by-government mining) to be named a federally-designated wilderness due to it's pristine waters. Now, how was that even possible? The same rock?
Hopefully, this letter will enlighten you somewhat. I'm not expecting much given the twin cities crowd and their blatant disregard of current BWCA laws while rabidly supporting something they know nothing about. It's always about their good time and ignore the rest of the world. Nonetheless, I thought I'd give it a try with you.
Joe Baltich
Northwind Lodge - Ely
Good news for Polymet
HIBBING — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed its review of the preliminary supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the development of Polymet’s Minnesota copper and nickel mine.
Polymet Mining President and CEO Jon Cherry made the announcement Tuesday during the Canada Connections business event held at Hibbing Community College.
The EPA sent a letter Aug. 7 to the U.S. Forest Service, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. In it, the EPA provided constructive recommendations for preparing the draft EIS for additional public feedback, according to a news release from Polymet.
The letter indicated that the project had made progress, the agency’s questions had been answered and it looked forward to the project moving forward, Cherry said.
“It is a very important letter from the EPA sent to lead regulator agencies,” he added.
PolyMet Reports Completion Of Drafting of Preliminary EIS
St. Paul, Minnesota, May 13, 2013 – PolyMet Mining Corp. (TSX: POM; NYSE MKT: PLM) (“PolyMet” or the “Company”) has been notified by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (“MDNR”) that ERM, the independent EIS Contractor, has completed drafting the preliminary supplemental draft Environmental Impact Statement (“EIS”) analyzing PolyMet’s 100%-owned copper-nickel-precious metals NorthMet project located in the established mining district of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota.
The NorthMet preliminary supplemental draft EIS will be reviewed by the Co-Lead Agencies (MDNR, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and the US Forest Service) and the Cooperating Agencies (the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Bois Forte, Fond du Lac, and Grand Portage Tribal Governments) prior to publication of the supplemental draft EIS for public review later this summer.
“This is a very important step toward completion of the environmental review and issuance of the permits we need to build and operate the NorthMet Project,” stated Jon Cherry, President and CEO of PolyMet. “The Agencies and their EIS Contractor have been engaged in very detailed review of the project design, which includes several project modifications in response to public and regulatory comments. The project modifications and improvements, such as the addition of a Reverse Osmosis water treatment plant, demonstrate our commitment to construct and operate NorthMet in a way that protects the environment.”
CalciTech Launches German Project Company
LEUNA, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 12/20/12
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTF) announces that following the Board’s approval of the project at Piesteritz, Germany, CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Europe Ltd, (“CSME”) is pleased to announce the registration of CalciTech Piesteritz GmbH. Initially formed with minimum share capital of €25,000, this will be increased on determination of the project funding. This Company is 100% owned by CSME and its purpose is to construct and operate a Synthetic Calcium Carbonate (“SCC”) plant.
CSME’s chairman, Michael J.B. Brickell will act as the new company’s first Geschäftsführer. Mr. Brickell commented “The registration of this new project company will now allow us to move forward with the project in the New Year.”
CalciTech Board Approves Project In Germany
LEUNA, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- 12/18/12
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTF) announces that the Board of Directors of CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Europe Ltd, (“CSME”) after the completion of feasibility studies, has approved the go-ahead of it’s project to construct the first commercial merchant plant for the production of Synthetic Calcium Carbonate (“SCC”) at Agro-Chemie Park, Piesteritz in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, Germany. The plant, when constructed, is designed to produce 50,000 tonnes of SCC per annum.
SKW Piesteritz, on whose site the plant is planned to be constructed, is the largest producer of ammonia in Germany and is actively developing business on the Agro-Chemie Park. In addition to providing suitable land to CSME, SKWP will also be providing utilities and site services and supply the CO2 required for this SCC plant.
Michael Watts, Managing Director of CSME stated “We are now able to plan the program of work and financing to complete matters to be able to build this plant and indicate product availability expectations.”
CalciTech Re-instated To OTCQB
GENEVA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
12/12/12
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTF) is pleased to announce, further to its press release made on December 10, 2012, that trading in the Company’s shares has now been re-instated to the OTCQB sector of the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (“OTCBB”). The OTCQB marketplace identifies companies that are reporting to the SEC and are current in their reporting obligations.
“I am delighted that CalciTech’s shares are now returned to their original trading market.” commented Nicholas Plumbridge, Investors Relations Manager
GENEVA, Switzerland--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
12/10/12
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTF) announces today it has filed it’s Form 20-F with the SEC which includes audited accounts for the year ended December 31, 2011. The Company's annual filing can be downloaded from the SEC website: www.sec.gov/edgar.shtml.
The Company has managed to overcome the difficulties resulting from the change in SEC regulations in making its filings. CalciTech’s exclusive European licensee, CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Europe Ltd. (“CSME”), which represents a significant part of our business, duly made its annual filing in the United Kingdom at the end of September. A copy of these financial statements can be found on our website, www.calcitech.com.
CalciTech is delighted to announce the appointment of Reeves & Co. LLP of London as its auditor. Together with the Company’s US lawyer, Locke Lord LLP, they have efficiently completed this annual filing. The Company will now seek to re-establish its listing on the OTCQB.
In the meantime steady progress is being made by CSME, in developing a site for our first merchant plant and further announcements are expected shortly.
Roger Leopard, President & CEO commented “After some difficult months, the Company is back on course to begin the commercialization of its technology in Europe”.
President's Letter
12th July, 2012
Dear Shareholder,
I have not written to shareholders in 2012 until now, although it has been my practice to do so for some years.
Shareholders will be aware of our restructuring, whereby our European business has been transferred to our European subsidiary, CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Europe Ltd, ("CSME") incorporated in the United Kingdom. I provided a very full background to all these activities in my last letter to shareholders and I attach an abridged version below for those that did not see this. I can report good progress is being made relative to the planned activities of CSME and it now only requires funding completion, which I mention below. You can now visit CSME at www.calcitech-europe.com.
Earlier this year we welcomed John O'Kelly Lynch to our Board of Directors in a non executive capacity, which was confirmed on his reappointment by shareholders at the recent Annual General Meeting. John is a long term resident of Bermuda. A Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, John joined a private shipping and venture capital group in 1984 as CFO. During the 80s and 90s he was actively involved in many US based venture capital projects and over the years has served in senior finance related roles for various international shipping and oil companies before forming Delphi Management Ltd. in Bermuda in 1997. John sits on the board of the funds that are managed by Delphi and also holds directorships' in various investment holding companies. In 2001, he acquired an interest in Interpetroleum Services Limited and other related companies which conduct chartering and financing operations in the gulf of Mexico offshore oil sector. He is former Chairman of the Bermuda Shipping Association and a Board Member of the Association of Bermuda International Companies.
In view of this he is able to represent us well in Bermuda, where we have never had a resident director before. He is also appointed a member of our compensation and audit committees.
In this current year, the management of CalciTech and CSME has been focused on arranging funding for CSME to become an independent operation and allow the financing with equity sources of the first plants planned. This is a challenging task with current financial markets so uncertain, particularly in Europe. However, opportunities are still available and particularly so for a situation like ours, where we meet a number of the criteria interesting to professional investors today. Our process technology with application defined specialty material products and in mature industries with our clear environmental and sustainability values, provide considerable investor interest.
Shareholders will be aware that we were unable to meet our filing date of 30th April this year resulting in our share quotation being moved to the OTC Link (formerly "Pink Sheets") where the shares continue to trade at low volume. Your Company was not made aware of this change from 30th June as in former years. Management accounts have been completed subject to audit. Our main business activity for audit purposes is now conducted through CSME and our London auditors, H.W. Fisher & Co will first be completing the audit for CSME for the year ending 31st December, 2011. This is required relative to the funding activities in progress and also is required to meet United Kingdom filing deadline of no later than 30th September, 2012. It is in the shareholders' interest to complete this to assist funding discussions as a priority. I intend to post the audited and filed accounts to our web site as soon as possible. We will also then have the audit of the consolidated accounts of CalciTech completed thereafter.
As soon as this funding process is completed we intend to commence activity in other territories where we have already carried out developmental work. We anticipate establishing territorial ventures that will be licensed by CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Ltd, where our IPR resides, and to participate directly in the ventures at the equity level. This will require our raising additional funds in the territories to complete projects and we will also look to raise further equity, most likely in the US markets to support the equity calls to participate in these ventures.
Your board is therefore committed to retaining its status in the United States and bringing us back to a suitable market quotation. Announcements will be made of all meaningful developments as these occur and will also be posted to its website at www.calcitech.com.
Yours faithfully,
R A Leopard
President & CEO
Extracts from the Presidents letter to shareholders posted 31st March 2011
We have progressed well with the development of our technology relating to the mineral wastes arising out of recycled paper. The first filing of our patent in this area was made in late 2009 and last year we entered into a co-operation agreement with industrial partners and sought a German Federal grant to support the project. This was approved late last year. This is an exceptionally interesting process as, by combination of CalciTech technologies, the waste minerals from re-cycled waste paper is purified and processed into two separate value streams of end product: Synthetic Calcium Carbonate ("SCC") with which we are all familiar, which will be re-cycled to the paper making process; and Sustainable Meta Kaolin ("SMK") that we believe has the potential to be a low energy cement substitute. This is a new product stream for CalciTech and requires further development, which is why a reputable cement company is part of the consortium. Our small scale plant at the Leuna chemical complex was moved to an adjacent site during the year and is being upgraded to meet the demands of this project in addition to its normal materials testing and sample production program.
A number of paper producers have taken a strong interest in our process and particularly because of its sustainability - "closing the process loop of materials". Dr Charles Kunesh, our US Development Director, presented a paper describing this at the Industrial Minerals Congress held in Miami early this year and a copy can be seen on our web page for more technical detail. Dr Robert Higgs, our R&D Director, presented a similar but more technical paper at the PTS-CTP Symposium in Munich.
As a result of this progress the Company has spent much time this last year reviewing the satellite concept of plant installation on site at customers. This type of plant, exclusively for production of coating SCC, we had anticipated as falling into a later phase in our program, but is driven by our advances in re-cycled paper. It is a very different model to our merchant concept, located at the customer's premises. It is normally a sole source of off take against long term contracts on very competitively priced terms and always delivered in a high solids slurry. Whereas our merchant concept can usually be located near CO2 and waste or other materials source and has mixed applications for our SCC in a variety of industries, and industry supply on small and short supply contracts to a wider range of customers, usually in a dry form. As such we have approached potential commercial partners with joint venture concepts, but we have failed to negotiate terms we would consider acceptable to our shareholders at this stage.
We have therefore decided to concentrate immediately on bringing several merchant plants to building stage and intend to concentrate on the smaller, non-paper coating, plants of which we have identified a number through our business planning. All prospective plants are now in Europe and therefore will be implemented by our new wholly owned subsidiary CalciTech Synthetic Minerals Europe Ltd. ("CSME") based in the UK. The prospective plants would be circa 40,000 tpa and could be in Germany, France, Spain, the Benelux or UK.
With several plants completed we have no doubt that execution on other projected merchant plants in Europe becomes very straightforward. We would expect thereafter to build a number of larger satellite plants for coating material at paper mills.
It is clear that the territories where SCC and waste remediation of our type will be used are quite different, either in their evolutionary stages, the market practices or management styles. In particular the local funding requirements and the need to secure the maximum protection for our technologies will require different local relationships and partners.
Michael Watts visited with me, both China and India earlier this year. Michael has considerable experience of working in Asia for much of his career. It is clear that there is a huge opportunity to recycle carbide lime waste and also re-cycled paper mineral waste in China providing significant environmental benefits, including absorption of CO2 emissions, while making certain industries completely sustainable with our SCC. India is potentially a similar opportunity to China, but may take longer to develop.
Delay And Harass Tactics Of Groups
Letter To Editor - Mesabi Daily News
It is not surprising that the “Friends of the Boundary Waters” and the Sierra Club lied about the number and origin of the signatures they had collected opposing copper mining in this area. This is very typical of the kinds of methods they have been using for years.
My wife was secretary for CWCS, (Conservationist with Common Sense), when we both watched the entire fiasco of the “tests” the two organizations conducted to show it was feasible to use portage wheels across Trout Lake Portage instead of any kind of mechanized transportation. Motors up to 25 h.p., plus a trolling motor, were allowed in Trout Lake.
First, the president of the “Friends,” Kevin Preschold, showed up in a pontoon boat with the front of the pontoon up on shore close by and they sat and watched everything that was going on. The only reason they were there was so Kevin could get them to donate money to the cause.
Next, 12 people in their late-teens showed up in 20-some-foot canoe. They beached the canoe and got out. Six of them grabbed the gunwale on each side and they took off across the portage. The only thing in the canoe were the paddles.
Two women who could have been linemen for the Vikings showed up in a small 14-foot aluminum boat and shipmotor. The only thing in the boat was the oars, two cushions and the portage wheels. I asked them what they were going to do with two boats like that in Trout Lake on a windy day. They just ignored me. They easily got the boat on the portage wheels and took off across the portage.
I was standing alongside the road when a young man carrying a canoe came by. He told me, “It makes me mad to see a tire track on the road.” I told him, “Why don’t you use the other portage? It follows the river and you can see and hear the rapids. It is only half as long and you won’t see a tire track.” He gave me a dirty look and went on his way.
Everything the “Friends” and Sierras did was a complete farce. They never came anywhere near trying the portage wheels using the boats, motors and equipment that were commonly used to go into Trout Lake.
The so-called “dog sled trip” to St. Paul with the false information about the signatures was the same way, for show only.
Now they are putting false information on billboards along the highway saying that copper mining will pollute Lake Superior and all the lakes in northeastern Minnesota.
This is the creed for the “Friends” Sierras and similar-thinking wackos, environuts in various organizations.
We are right, everybody else is wrong. We will use any and all methods to get what we want, legal or not. If we can’t stop something, we will delay it as long as we can. We have no regard for any negative consequences of our actions.
The “Friends” Sierras and their shyster lawyer, Brian ONeil, used lies and false information to convince the “boneheads” in the right places that using portage wheels worked just fine. There were no longer trucks at the Trout Lake, Prairie and Four Mile portages.
CWCS kept fighting to get the portages reopened and eventually we did get the Trout Lake Portage and the Prairie Portage between Moose Lake and Basswood reopened. Today four-wheelers and trailers are used to haul boats in and out of Trout Lake. The system works very good and does zero harm to anything or anybody.
The only thing the wachos accomplished was to put the portage operators out of business for a number of years and prevent a very high percentage of people from going into the lakes. The closing needlessly prevented my wife and I from camping in Trout Lake during the last years we were physically able to do so.
Frank Franson
Tower
Where have Democrats been on big PolyMet issue?
Letter To Editor - Mesabi Daily News
Northeastern Minnesota residents should be disgusted with our government agencies. It has now become almost a joke, when talking about PolyMet and its never-ending timeline in getting permits and an Environmental Impact Statement.
There is no reason, why PolyMet has had to sit and wait for eight years, while spending more than $40 million to get the “go-ahead” to add valuable jobs to our area. Why is it that states like Wisconsin, Michigan, and Indiana can get this process done in warp-speed?
Where have our local politicians been? In my opinion, “their heads have been buried in sand” on this issue. Not one local politician has really stood up and fought this issue. Why hasn’t our elected Democrats in this area fought to cut through all the red tape and delays? Chip Cravaack has done more and fought harder than anyone else to get this resolved and done. Also, I must mention County Commissioner Keith Nelson for his passion and work on this issue. But no one else has come forward.
Mining is everything to Northeastern Minnesota, and I understand the concerns of environmentalists. However, the last time I looked the lakes and rivers were beautiful and full of fish. The woods are plush with green forests and full of wildlife, and the BWCAW, which I frequent quite regularly, is pristine and beautiful. And to think all of this has lasted and thrived with more than 120 years of mining in our area.
The environmentalists, which include the “Friends of the Boundary Waters” group, have lost all credibility in my opinion. Handing in petitions to the state with signatures not even from the area, and signatures duplicated was a cheap attempt to delay the permit process. I challenge that I could get 12,000 signatures (all legitimate) in several weeks, in support of mining in our area.
The way we do business in Minnesota must be looked into and changed. We need jobs! Now! And if our local politicians can’t cut through all this red tape, and use “common sense,” then its time for a change. We simply can’t afford this type of leadership going forward. It’s time for a change!
Dan Darbo
Republican
Candidate
for House 6B
PolyMet Announces Results of Shareholders' Meeting
HOYT LAKES, MINNESOTA--(Marketwire -07/11/12)- PolyMet Mining Corp. (POM.TO)(PLM) ("PolyMet" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that the resolutions presented to shareholders were passed at the Company's Annual General and Special Meeting of Shareholders held on July 10, 2012.
The number of directors of the Company was set at eight and includes re-election of Ian Forrest, Frank Sims, David Dreisinger, Alan Hodnik, William Murray, Steve Rowland, Joseph Scipioni, and Michael Sill to the Company's board of directors.
PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP was re-appointed as auditors of the Company.
Subject to final TSX approval, the 2007 Omnibus Share Compensation Plan (the "Plan") was amended and restated to (a) amend the number of common shares reserved for issuance, (b) increase the maximum term of expiry from seven (7) years to ten (10) years in respect of which stock options may be granted; and (c) clarify the definition of "Market Price". The Plan and all unallocated options or awards entitled to be granted thereunder, was reapproved. The extension of the expiry date of all stock options outstanding as at July 10, 2012 to ten (10) years from the original date of grant was also approved.
The board decided, pending further consideration, to withdraw the proposal to authorize Preferred Shares; a vote was not held on this matter.
Sorry, Wrong Numbers
BILL HANNA EXECUTIVE EDITOR – Mesabi Daily News 06/23/2012
Petitions by anti-nonferrous mining advocates about 2,000 shy of 12,500 being touted; 70% of them are from Twin Cities and out-of-state.
Former state legislator Frank Moe captured a lot of media attention when he staged a 350-mile sled dog run from Ely to the North Shore, through Duluth and down to the State Capitol in St. Paul.
The purpose: To deliver, on March 8, a reported 12,500 to 13,000 signed petitions to Gov. Mark Dayton to try to block any copper/nickel/precious metals mining in Northeastern Minnesota.
But two critical elements were missing:
1. Snow to make the trek much more enjoyable for the dogs.
2. Honesty regarding the true number of signatures (about 2,000 less than touted) and residency by region of the vast majority of signees (70 percent were from the Twin Cities area and out-of-state, not northern Minnesota generally; the Arrowhead region specifically, as was claimed).
MiningMinnesota, an advocacy group for nonferrous mining in the region, at first had some difficulty getting copies of the petitions. But when it filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the governor’s attorney, the petitions submitted to the Department of Natural Resources commissioner were made available immediately.
MiningMinnesota officials then did an extensive breakdown of the data. Here’s some of what the group found:
• Once duplicated signatures are deleted, the total of legitimate petitions was 10,244, considerably shy of the 12,500 claimed by some environmental groups, including Friends of the Boundary Waters, and reported by media as fact, including Minnesota Public Radio and WCCO television. And it was another 500 short of what anti-nonferrous mining group Water Legacy has on its Web site.
• 70 percent of the signatures are from the seven-county metropolitan area (4,498 or 45 percent) and out of state (2,612 or 25 percent) combined. That differs considerably from what Steve Morse, executive director of the Minnesota Environmental Patnership, said at the March 8 rally at the State Capitol regarding the “petitions of 12,500 Minnesotans from northern Minnesota primarily.”
• Only 18 percent of the signatures (1,805) are from Northeast Minnesota, with 12 percent (1,201) from other areas of Greater Minnesota. There are 128 with addresses unknown.
The Mesabi Daily News secured copies of the signatures and looked deeper into the petitions. Here’s some of what we found:
• Of the 1,805 from Northeast Minnesota, the vast majority of them are from places outside the Iron Range, with the most from Duluth and the North Shore.
• Ely had the most from the Range, about 300. Isabella was next with about 30.
• Babbitt barely made it into double-digit signatures.
• The core Iron Range had few signatures. Here are those unofficial numbers as counted: Virginia, 9 (including former City Councilor Rob Raplinger); Chisholm, 6; Soudan, 6; Bovey, 4; Hibbing, 5; Tower, 6; Buhl, 1; Makinen, 2.
• Aurora and Hoyt Lakes, cities closest to the proposed PolyMet nonferrous project, each had one signature.
• There were many signatures with only a first name.
• There were several signatures of “Anonymous.”
• The out of state signatures were from across the U.S. and also from some other countries, including Norway, the Netherlands and Germany.
A call was made to Frank Moe of Hovland for comment and a message left. A message was also left with Conservation Minnesota, a Minneapolis-based group against copper/nickel/precious metals mining.
Frank Ongaro, executive director of MiningMinnesota, said what was found in examining the petitions was not surprising.
“I think it confirms what we thought all along ... that a significant percentage of the people submitting petitions are not from Northeast Minnesota. That should be concerning to all of us who live and raise families in the region.
“When organizations keep touting 12,500 or 13,000 signatures sent to the governor and say that on camera and videos, they need to be held accountable,” he said.
Ongaro also said that when Morse said nonferrous mining “has been a Superfund site wherever it has been done in this country” his comments were “blatantly false.”
“The true facts are that there are many examples of hardrock mines that have been permitted without major environmental issues,” he said.
“The total number of hardrock mines permitted (on United States Forest Service lands) since 1990 is 2,658; no sites have been placed on the CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (commonly known as Superfund) list” Department of Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack wrote in a letter to a U.S. senator on July 20, 2011.
“There have been 659 plans of operations authorized by BLM’s (Bureau of Land Management) Mining Law Administration Program since 1990. There have been no sites on which a mining plan of operation was approved since 1990 that has been placed on CERCLA,” wrote BLM Director Robert V. Abbey to a U.S. senator on July 21, 2011.
Ongaro also said Moe, who operates a sled dog business, was “not even close” in citing the number of jobs in the region dependent on “clean water.” He put the tourism jobs number in the region at 30,000.
“The total tourism-related private sector employment number for March 2012 in Cook, Lake and St. Louis counties combined is 15,153. Yes, half of the claimed 30,000. If you take out Duluth, that number drops to 9,113,” Ongaro said, referring to state Department of Employment and Economic Development statistics.
“Keep in mind where the real employment impact is in Northeast Minnesota. It’s mining. And, there are more credible sources to back up this claim,” Ongaro said. “The people who support responsible mineral development in Minnesota are not going to sit by and let these ridiculous accusations go unchallenged.”
PolyMet is currently in a lengthy environmental review and permitting process that is expected to be completed the first quarter of 2013. It is expected to create 360 permanent jobs, many more spin-off positions and about 1.25 million hours of construction work. It is the farthest along of nonferrous projects on the Range. The Twin Metals venture near Ely and Babbitt is projected to create thousands of jobs.
CalciTech Change in OTC Listing
HAMILTON, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
CalciTech Ltd. (CLKTE) announces that, as a result of the Company’s failure to timely file its Form 20-F for fiscal year ended December 31, 2011 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), its stock on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board (OTCBB) has stopped trading on the OTCQB sector and has begun trading on the Pink Sheets. Its trading symbol remains unchanged as "CLKTF". The Company is currently preparing the Form 20-F for filing with the SEC and is advised that since this is CalciTech's first delinquency and it has not previously been removed from the OTCBB, upon completing the filing with the SEC, the Company will be quickly relisted.
PolyMet Project Will Be Model For Others
Mesabi Daily News - 06/03/2012
COMMENTARY by U.S. REP. CHIP CRAVAACK
WASHINGTON — In Minnesota’s Eighth District, we are pro-jobs and
pro-mining. Fortunately for us, the two go hand in hand. In fact, according to a University of Minnesota-Duluth study, 2.5 ancillary jobs are produced for every mining job. These are wellpaying jobs that we can’t afford to miss.
While keeping jobs in mind, we will not forget about the environment. I’ve worked closely with the PolyMet advisory
panel I assembled, which consists of state and federal offi cials, and we believe that mining without harm is the only way
to build a sustainable and responsible minerals exploration industry in northern Minnesota.
The long-term success of PolyMet’s NorthMet project, for example,
depends on completing a thorough environmental review. As part of this review process, PolyMet will release an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) that demonstrates compliance with all state
and federal standards.
Although cumbersome, this environmental review is an important
safeguard in the development and exploration in Minnesota’s critical and strategic mineral sector. All in all, this process is
geared to be environmentally responsible, precise, and thoughtful. You can rest assured that only the cleanest processing technology in the world and the best mining practices
will be used for operations in Minnesota.
Speaking of compliance, PolyMet initiated an environmental review
of its proposed NorthMet copper and nickel mine back in 2005. Since this time, approximately $40 million has been invested
to ensure the accuracy of the EIS. And although new, more precise modeling in development will cause delay, we are on the right track. Such setbacks are frustrating, but this process will
ensure environmentally sound precious metals mining on Minnesota’s
Iron Range.
The approval of the PolyMet operation would result in a direct and
much needed boost to our economy, and it would yield a new domestic resource of raw materials. Ultimately, this would lower the United States’ reliance on foreign sources and provide wellpaying jobs for Minnesota workers at a time of high unemployment.
Specifically, the Poly-Met construction project will engage
approximately 300 skilled construction workers and create 360 fulltime jobs. A University of Minnesota-Duluth study estimates more than 500 ancillary jobs will be created in St. Louis
County alone, generating an economic benefit of about $242 million, including products and services. Additionally, the project is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars annually in federal, state, and local taxes.
Recently, PolyMet reported continued progress with the NorthMet
project. PolyMet has been working with the DNR, Forest Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers to complete its complex set of environmental models, which will be used to ensure that the
project will meet all state and federal environmental standards.
Just last week, in continued commitment to sustaining a responsible mining industry, the Forest Service announced it
was backing 29 new mining exploration permits on national forest lands. This decision, which came after extensive environmental
review, will allow companies to prospect certain land for its mining benefit. Importantly, no mining will occur before additional review, which will be held to the highest standard.
While Minnesotans and all Americans search for breathing room
in our nearly stagnant economy, and while tens of millions of dollars and countless hours of work have been invested in
the PolyMet project, it is crucial that the DNR and lead agencies do all they can to expedite the new modeling processes toward the publication of an EIS.
The Iron Range andnorthern Minnesota is one of America’s most
abundant natural resources, and we need to keep it that way. The
PolyMet project will serve as a model of precise environmental review for other emerging projects, including the Twin Metals project. These operations will produce valuable precious minerals
with practical applications, such as copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, and gold.
Using the cleanest methods possible, Minnesota’s Eighth
District will realize the PolyMet project to the benefit of its workers, as well as a protected and preserved natural landscape
for future generations to come.
Chip Cravaack is the Republican congressman from the 8th District.
Minn. Minerals Prospecting Review Completed
By STEVE KARNOWSKI | Associated Press – 05/30/12
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service said Tuesday it has completed a final environmental impact statement on the effects of prospecting for copper, nickel, platinum and related minerals in the Superior National Forest of northeastern Minnesota, clearing the way for a federal agency to issue 29 drilling permits near Ely.
If the Bureau of Land Management issues the permits, the prospecting would have to abide by the protections specified in the final environmental impact statement that was posted online Tuesday, the Forest Service said.
None of the 29 areas are in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area or in separate protected areas on the edges of the wilderness area. The sites are generally south of Ely and east of Birch Lake.
The decision does not authorize any actual mining, just prospecting, said Timothy Dabney, the acting supervisor of the Superior National Forest. Any mining proposal would go through a separate permitting process and environmental review.
In a letter to interested parties, Dabney wrote that he understands there are strong feelings about prospecting, including concerns about the impacts on the forest and the Boundary Waters, as well as the jobs that minerals exploration and mining could bring to the area.
"I believe that with this decision, we are in a position to fulfill the purpose and need for this project to facilitate minerals exploration to occur in an environmentally sound manner," Dabney wrote.
Prospecting in northeastern Minnesota has generated opposition for several reasons, ranging from noise and property rights to the potential long-term environmental threats from mining the metals in what geologists call the Duluth Complex, which are bound up in minerals that can leach sulfuric acid and other pollutants when exposed to the elements.
Several companies have been prospecting in the area for several years, a process that typically involves noisy, round-the-clock drilling to extract core samples, as well as constructing temporary roads and removing trees to clear space for drill pads.
The EIS specifies measures to minimize the environmental impacts, to reclaim disturbed ground and to close temporary roads.
Dabney wrote that officials took a "hard look" at drilling noise. He said his decision includes measures for reducing the noise that reaches the BWCA, while state rules will reduce drilling noise that reaches homes, resorts and campgrounds outside the wilderness.
In a related report, Dabney said the scenario he chose from among five alternatives strikes the best balance "between resource use and resource protection" and the concerns raised during the public comment process.
Whether those protections will satisfy the concerns of environmentalists and residents remains to be seen.
Paul Danicic, executive director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, said his group had not had a chance to fully review the final EIS.
The decision is separate from two mining projects already under development in northeastern Minnesota — the proposed PolyMet mine near Hoyt Lakes and the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely.
It is also separate from a pending decision by Minnesota Executive Council, which meets Thursday, on whether to sell 77 minerals exploration leases for privately owned land in the region. The council pushed back that decision for six months last October because of landowners' concerns.
Campaign Against Metals Mining
Posted at: 05/23/2012 7:13 AM | Updated at: 05/23/2012 8:05 AM
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Environmental groups are launching a campaign ahead of the summer vacation season against plans for copper, nickel and precious metals mining in northeastern Minnesota.
Conservation Minnesota, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy are targeting the proposed PolyMet and Twin Metals mines.
The groups say the copper, nickel, gold and other metals are locked up in minerals that can produce sulfuric acid and other contaminants when exposed to the elements.
Frank Ongaro of the industry group MiningMinnesota says the state has strong regulations to protect the environment and companies won't get a permit unless they show they can meet them.
The campaign includes the web site MiningTruth.org, a 40-page report, and four billboards along Interstate 35 between Minneapolis and Duluth to reach summer travelers.
In related news, PolyMet announced another timetable for their crucial permitting documents. Now the company said it will be early 2013 before the public can review the massive supplemental draft environmental impact statement.
They had hoped it would be sometime in 2012.
Given evasiveness, it's hard to trust PolyMet's assurances
MINNPOST – Letter To Editor
ELY, Minn. — Trust has been identified as a key issue in the debate over PolyMet's plans for sulfide mining near Hoyt Lakes. I paid particular attention to comments posted on a recent Duluth News Tribune column, “Trust at heart of copper mine debate,” including one by a reader who suggested sulfide mining would not harm our waters as long as Bradley Moore, PolyMet’s executive vice president of environmental and governmental affairs, was at the helm. The comment writer cited Moore’s background and expounded, “When it comes to truth and trust, I’d rank him near the top.”
In order to trust, one has to be told the truth, and an evasion of the truth is as harmful as a lie. Moore may be a nice guy, but he also showed himself recently to be a skillful evader. Here are three examples from an Izaak Walton League sulfide-mining forum on May 2 in Duluth, where Moore was a presenter.
Union or non-union?
First, Moore was asked if PolyMet would commit to hiring union workers for nonconstruction work. Moore’s reply was that they were committed to hiring “unionized construction workers.”
Notice that he did not answer the question. The question was concerning nonconstruction workers. Afterward, Moore was again asked privately, and with no way to maneuver he admitted they would not commit to hiring union employees after construction.
PolyMet may well be following the same pattern as the Mesabi Nugget plant in Hoyt Lakes; after receiving strong support from the unions, it has now become a nonunion company.
Believe what we say ...
Second, Moore denied that PolyMet has a problem with the sulfate standard, saying, “We are not opposed to 10 milligrams per liter.”
That must be why they have tried so hard through the efforts of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and certain Minnesota legislators to change the standard — a standard that was established through scientific research, a standard established before our waters were severely impacted by industry.
Not only are they trying to change the sulfate standard, they are also trying to invent a definition of what constitutes a stand of wild rice. No surprise that none of the wild rice stands below PolyMet – stands already damaged by mining discharges – would be large enough to qualify by PolyMet’s definition. Their logic is that once waters are polluted, or wild rice stands damaged, they don’t count anymore. Finish them off.
When all else fails, change the subject
Third, the question was asked, “Can you assure us that you will not be releasing these sulfates?”
It is well known that sulfates play a roll in the conversion of mercury to methyl mercury, that methyl mercury accumulates in the fish living in our waters, and bio-accumulates in us when we eat them. We now have a study of the Lake Superior Basin that found 10 percent of Minnesota’s newborns have unsafe levels of toxic mercury in their blood, likely from their mothers ingesting mercury-laden fish.
So, what did Moore say in response to the question about PolyMet’s sulfate release? He did not answer it. He talked about the amount of mercury blowing in from China.
He knows perfectly well that in PolyMet’s case the sulfates that will be released are a bigger issue than where the mercury originates. Sulfates don’t care where the mercury comes from when they work their magic and turn it into methyl mercury. Our waters have more than enough mercury sitting in their sediments right now, along with sulfate-reducing bacteria, just waiting for those PolyMet sulfates to trigger methyl mercury production. And not only wild rice will be affected; so will our children.
Our children are the winners this time
It appears that the Minnesota courts, namely in Ramsey County, understood the importance of upholding the sulfate standard. As WaterLegacy attorney Paula Maccabee, reported: “in December of 2010, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of its mining industry members, filed a lawsuit in district court to prevent the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) from applying Minnesota's wild rice sulfate standard to protect natural stands of wild rice from sulfate pollution, including discharge from mine waste rock piles and tailings basins. WaterLegacy and the MPCA both filed motions for summary judgment in January of 2012; they presented their arguments on the first of March.”
The morning of March 11 WaterLegacy learned that "Judge Margaret Marrinan upheld the wild rice sulfate standard and granted the motion for summary judgment [PDF] — dismissal of all claims without going to trial." Judge Marrinan ruled that the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Complaint should be dismissed “in its entirety with prejudice and on the merits.” Maccabee explained, “This means the case was thrown out on the substance, not a technicality, and they can't make the same claims again.”
Ironically, Moore was oddly prophetic when he claimed PolyMet was not opposed to the 10-milligrams-per-liter sulfate standard. Little did he know the standard would be upheld, and PolyMet would have the opportunity to prove it. Which gives it one big problem. How?
C.A. Arneson lives on a lake in the Ely area.
NWF Wants More Study of Great Lakes-Area Mining
By Stephanie Hemphill, Minnesota Public Radio
May 10, 2012
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A national environmental group is asking for a federal study on the cumulative impacts of sulfide mining in the Great Lakes region.
Mining companies are exploring for copper, nickel, and other metals around the western Great Lakes. The National Wildlife Federation said the region is vulnerable to widespread damage from pollution, and the federal government should do a watershed-based study of the risks.
National Wildlife Federation attorney Michelle Halley said it should be done before mines are opened.
"We need to do it proactively so we can have a good assessment of places where mines can occur and be done safely if they follow the regulations, and then places that really should be off-limits to mining," Halley said.
The National Wildlife Federation examined mining regulations in three states and Ontario, and found that Wisconsin has more effective rules than Minnesota.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources spokesman Chris Niskanen said the state has considered doing a generic environmental impact statement (EIS) on proposed mining projects, but the agency has its hands full with the current study of the planned Polymet mine.
"We're devoting all of our resources right now to doing the best possible job we can on the current EIS, so if we were to do it statewide it certainly would distract and take resources away from what we're currently doing," Niskanen said.
The Polymet study has been under way for more than four years.
Mining Q&A Draws Hundreds to Duluth
May 2, 2012
DULUTH, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) - From jobs, to water quality, to wild rice, all were topics of discussion Wednesday during a question and answer session on mining.
PolyMet Mining Company has proposed to mine copper, nickel as part of the first nonferrous mining project in northeastern Minnesota.
About 200 people showed-up for the question and answer session, hoping to get answers and learn more about what a copper, nickel mine may mean for Northeastern Minnesota.
Several stakeholders were represented on the panel, including a spokesperson from Polymet, the DNR and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.
The first topics of the night looked at wild rice standards of water quality, as well as whether regulations result in a bad environment for jobs.
One question the panelists disputed was over whether there is an environmental success story when it comes to any existing nonferrous mining project.
Environmentalists argue the byproduct of nonferrous mining introduces more sulfides into the water systems.
The PolyMet representative pointed to Flambeau Mine in Wisconsin as an example of success. "The Flambeau River is approximately 150 feet from the mine site. It's shown no change in water quality and aquatic life as a changes as a result of mining activity," said Brad Moore, a VP of Polymet Mining Company.
"Flambeau is yet another mine in a long a long stream of sulfide mine that's had continual problems," said Kathryn Hoffman of the Minnesota Center of Environmental Advocacy.
The DNR representative said Flambeau Mine operated under fewer regulations and would not have met closure standards in Minnesota.
PolyMet isn't the only mining company exploring precious metal mining in Minnesota. One other example of a company that has done exploratory drilling and proposed a project is Twin Metals.
Posted to Web by Jena Pike
jpike@northlandsnewscenter.com
PolyMet
WDIO – News 04/25/12
Phase 1 of PolyMet is $350 million dollars. CEO Joe Scipioni said that's like an investment of almost $1 million dollars a day, for a year.
"That's what our region is missing out on, while we wait for permits," he told the group of chamber members in Virginia. He was speaking at the Laurentian Chamber luncheon on Tuesday.
The base and precious metals project holds the promise of 360 jobs and hundreds of spin-off jobs.
It's still in the lengthy permitting phase, with the crucial supplemental draft environmental impact statement to be out later this year.
Scipioni then turned the presentations to the myths that are out there about their project. There are a number of environmental groups that are strongly opposed to the project.
Some myths, according to PolyMet, include:
1) Hard rock mining is the biggest polluter. Scipioni contends it's actually the pollution from vehicles, ATVs, and boat motors.
2) PolyMet is a snowplow for all other project. (Meaning once PolyMet is permitted, all other projects will automatically be permitted through.) Scipioni said each project will be vetted and permitted on its own merits.
3) PolyMet is a wild rice killer. Scipioni said that they can move forward without any changes to the current sulfate standard.
Jerry Hoel, from Miners National Bank, came to the presentation to hear the latest. "We're all frustrated with the long wait. We have a stake in the future of this region, and mining is in our future."
BUYINS.NET Issues PolyMet Mining SqueezeTrigger Report
• Approximately 86.5 Million Shares Shorted Since August 2009
• Short Squeeze Expected To Begin Above $2.21 SqueezeTrigger
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., April 19, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BUYINS.NET, http://www.buyins.net, a leading provider of Regulation SHO compliance monitoring, short sale trading statistics and market integrity surveillance, has initiated coverage on PolyMet Mining Company (AMEX:PLM - News) after releasing the latest short sale data through April 17, 2012.
The total aggregate number of shares shorted since August 2009 is approximately 86.5 million shares. Approximately 31.85% of daily trading volume is short selling. The SqueezeTrigger price for all PLM (TSX:POM.TO) shares shorted is $2.21. A short squeeze is expected to begin when PLM closes above its $2.21 SqueezeTrigger Price.
OVERVIEW OF PLM SHORT SALE DATA
After careful analysis of PLM short sale, naked short sale and market maker friction factor data it is clear that PLM has had issues with short sellers who have continued to short the stock.
Short sellers have recently been building a sizable position in
shares of PLM and market makers have made a slightly bearish
market lately. New evidence of daily short sellers shorting shares
of PLM has now come to light as the SEC has finally given Buyins.net access to DAILY short sale data which is updated every night.
Protecting PLM from abusive shorting is a high priority.
MPR News Primer: Copper-Nickel Mining
By Paul Tosto, Minnesota Public Radio
April 11, 2012
Mining runs deep in the culture and economy of northern Minnesota. So why are people drawing battle lines over plans to build copper-nickel mines in the Iron Range? It's a new kind of mining for Minnesota and there are plenty of potential rewards -- and risks. Can a middle ground be found between economic, environmental and quality of life concerns?
Who wants to build new mines in northern Minnesota?
Two huge copper-nickel mining projects are under consideration in northern Minnesota, which holds one of the world's largest untapped copper deposits. Better technology, together with rising copper prices the past decade, are making large scale metals mining cost-effective here and potentially very lucrative.
One company, PolyMet, wants to build an open pit operation to mine copper and other metals. Another venture, Twin Metals, plans a massive, largely underground mine southeast of Ely -- a company official has likened it to an "underground city" -- stretching near the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Called the Nokomis project, it would be one of the largest private ventures ever launched in Minnesota -- the company estimates its state investment could top $2 billion eventually, more than double the value of, say, a new Vikings stadium.
The PolyMet and Twin Metals projects have been years in the making. Each is the process of taking a next big step. At PolyMet, whose plans have been mired in environmental concerns, a long-awaited draft environmental review is expected to be completed this summer and released to the public in October. Twin Metals is launching a "pre-feasibility" study for the building of a mine and copper production plant. It's expected to be finished some time in mid-2013.
What makes these projects different from northern Minnesota's taconite mines?
Minnesota is new to this kind of large scale copper-nickel mining. The scope of these projects is enormous and some of the methods used to process the rock after it's dug from the earth are very different from northern Minnesota's traditional taconite operations.
In taconite mining, the mined iron ore is separated from the rock using magnetism. Copper-nickel mining involves removing copper and other metals from sulfur deposits using heat, pressure and chemicals in a controlled process.
That kind of mining creates concerns because when sulfide-containing rocks are exposed to the elements they produce sulfuric acid with the potential to poison watersheds and kill fish and plant life should it escape. The Environmental Protection Agency says acid mine drainage can be "highly toxic and, when mixed with groundwater, surface water and soil, may have harmful effects on humans, animals and plants."
The companies say they know how to keep those acid rock dangers in check by collecting the waste rock in lined basins and treating any water that would come in contact. Eventually the waste rock would be returned to the mined-out pits, which would be allowed to flood, says Jim Miller, associate professor of geology at the University of Minnesota Duluth. "The potential for sulfuric acid generation ends when the waste rock is submerged in unoxygenated water."
There are deep divisions over this kind of mining, to the point where advocates and critics can't agree on whether to describe it as copper-nickel mining, nonferrous mining or sulfide mining.
What are the arguments for the proposed new mining operations?
Proponents cite jobs, tax revenues and even national security. The projects promise to bring thousands of mining industry jobs to northern Minnesota, hundreds of millions of dollars in new business -- and the tax revenues and royalties that go with it.
St. Louis County officials say new, non-iron mining projects have the potential to add more than $2.7 billion to the state's economy and another 7,000 new jobs over the next 20 years. That would more than double the current numberof mining and logging jobs in Minnesota now.
The industry says the projects could generate tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue each year and channel hundreds of millions in state land royalties to public schools.
The industry also argues that copper mining is a national security issue for the U.S., noting the U.S. consumes about twice the copper it produces annually. Others argue the metals are too valuable to be left in the ground -- copper and nickel are vital elements in countless products from hybrid cars, construction to aerospace -- and that a balance can be found between this kind of mining and the environment. "We are all obligated to see that this resource is developed responsibly and with the highest environmental standards," writes the University of Minnesota Duluth's Miller.
PolyMet and Twin Metals say they will be good stewards of the Minnesota environment, using the latest technology and techniques to minimize pollution created by their mining.
What are the arguments against the new mines?
Environmental groups including the Sierra Club and Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, argue, "This is not the taconite mining that made the Iron Range famous and that Minnesotans understand...Sulfide mining has the potential to leach sulfuric acid and toxic metals into local watersheds, polluting water and wrecking wetlands."
Critics say projects elsewhere in the west show sulfide mining is a risky proposition, damaging wetlands and watersheds. They argue that despite corporate commitments, taxpayers will be on the hook ultimately to pay for any long-term cleanup, as they have been elsewhere.
Skeptics are also wary of the claims of an economic bonanza, which hinges on the global prices for copper and other metals. The taconite business took a huge hit during the Great Recession.
Mining also has to be balanced with the region's tourism industry, which generates more than $700 million a year and 16,000 jobs in northeast Minnesota, as well as the concerns Native Americans have about copper mining's potential effects on the region'swild rice harvest.
What happens next?
It's a regulatory and public relations grind now for supporters and opponents of the metals mining projects.
PolyMet has plans to buy farmland and restore it to wetlands (It must create one acre of wetland for everyone it destroys or impairs). Environmentalists are skeptical. The next public milepost for the project will come in the fall with the release of an environmental review of the company's plan.
Twin Metals is pushing ahead with its feasibility study and "collecting baseline environmental data across 32,000 acres the company has secured access to under which geologists say is a jackpot discovery of copper," the Duluth News Tribune reports.
For both projects, it will be a marathon dig.
”Polymet and The Next Era of Mining”
Special Guest:
Joe Scipioni, President & CEO Polymet Mining
Polymet is poised to begin operations and the mining of copper, nickel, platinum, cobalt and gold.
Join us and hear their plan on bringing jobs and investment to our regional economy.
Tuesday, April 24th 11:30am to 1:00pm
Coates Plaza Hotel
$15.00 Members
$20.00 Non-Members and the Public
Registration Required:
admin@laurentianchamber.org
jcurrie@laurentianchamber.org
741-2717
JOSEPH SCIPIONI
Mr. Scipioni’s career spanned more than 30 years with United States Steel Corporation. His last position was Plant Manager at the Keewatin Taconite plant in Minnesota. Mr. Scipioni joined Poly-Met in July 2006 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in March 2007 and advanced to President and Chief Executive Officer as of February 2008.
Copper mining better, needed
Letter To The Editor - Mesabi Daily News (03/25/12)
During the last 10 or more years, there has been much activity and
discussion in this area about mining ore containing copper and other metals. Iron and copper are by far the most useful and necessary elements in today’s society. Because of the geologic
history of this planet over the last two billion years or so, Northeastern Minnesota had and has large deposits of ores containing both of these sometimes crucial elements.
When I was majoring in geology at UMD in the mid 1950s, our two
professors told us that between the volcanic rocks along the North Shore of Lake Superior and the iron formations on the Iron Range, there was a large deposit of Duluth Gabbro that extended
for many miles toward the northeast.
Gabbro is an igneous rock similar to granite, but it is coarser grained and darker colored. They said there was a good possibility of ores of copper and other metals being in the Gabbro.
Today the formation is called the Duluth Complex and the more it is drilled, the more ore they are finding.
In our 2005 Dodge Durango I counted 12 electric motors and one generator. Examples of the motors are the starter, windshield wipers, window openers and heating and cooling fans and blowers. When I started counting motors in our house and elsewhere, I
stopped at 20. Washer, dryer, freezer, refrigerator, microwave, fans and blowers, blender, can opener, electric knife, etc.
On the large end of the scale are the huge generators and motors,
transformers, transmission lines, telephone lines and all the wiring in homes and other buildings. If I said that the number of miles of copper wire in use on this planet was in the billions, I don’t think I would be exaggerating. Even a small electric
motor has yards of cooper wire in it.
Copper is the only practical element to use for all these purposes.
There are some people who oppose any copper mining, period. These same people depend on the copper products I just mentioned in their everyday living. They either never think about that or if
they do, they “sweep it under the rug and stomp on it.” They keep bringing up places like Sudbury, Ontario, and its past pollution.
There has been bad pollution in the past in some areas. The pollution was caused by the smelters. In the smelting process, the copper ores are roasted at high temperatures to separate the sulfur from the copper and other metals. At these temperatures the sulfur combines with oxygen in the air forming sulfur
dioxide, so2. It is a bad news gas with about twice the density of air. It sinks and collects above the land and water.
It kills vegetation and reacts with water forming sulfuric acid, H2so4, which is a strong, corrosive acid. It is also the acid
in car batteries that start your car whenever you turn the key. Also, car batteries are made up of alternating plates of lead oxide and lead which can be another toxic element under some
conditions. Today’s car batteries last more than seven years and are recycled.
There won’t be any smelters here to separate the sulfur from the metals. There is a new process that is going to be used, I don’t know just what it is yet. That is what PolyMet and various
agencies are talking about right now.
The “environmentalists” don’t know what it is yet either. To them, no matter what it is, it will pollute everything. They come up with false statements and numbers involving things they
know nothing about, just to “toot their own horn.”
There is only so much copper ore left on this planet. The ore is found only in a limited number of places. The copper deposits here are anywhere from the third biggest to the biggest one in the
world. If we don’t mine copper here we have to import it. Our trade deficit will increase, which we don’t need. We become dependent on other countries. We know all too well what that can
lead to with the oil situation. The world needs copper and lots of it.
Copper mining here will be very closely monitored by various agencies. It has already been studied closely for seven years and millions have been spent on it.
Mining copper here will benefit everybody in this country. There will be many long lasting, good paying jobs. Area schools and cities will be much better off. The state and federal governments will get more tax money.
It is time for the so called “environmentalists” to wake up, open
their eyes, quit trying to live in the past, get off of that narrow minded, one track only, path they are following and
see 2012 the way it is.
P.S. I just looked at a 6-foot, two-wire extension cord and found 240 feet of copper wire in it. A 100-foot, three-wire has 75 strands, 7,500 feet or 104 miles of copper wire.
Frank Franson
Tower
Finally, Someone Challenges EPA
Supreme Court sides with Idaho property owners over EPA
Fox News
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court has come forcefully down on the side of an Idaho couple in its fight against the Environmental Protection Agency, unanimously ruling Wednesday that the couple can challenge an EPA order to stop construction of their home on property designated a wetland.
Mike and Chantell Sackett bought their land near a scenic lake for $25,000, but when they decided to build a property there in 2007, the EPA ordered a halt, saying the Clean Water Act requires that wetlands not be disturbed without a permit.
They've been fighting for the right to challenge the decision in court for several years, and facing millions of dollars in fines over the land.
The couple complained there was no reasonable way to challenge the order, and noted they don't know why the EPA concluded there are wetlands on their lot, which is surrounded by a residential neighborhood with sewer lines and homes.
In an opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia, the court ruled the EPA cannot impose fines that could be as much as $75,000 a day without giving property owners the ability to challenge its actions.
The ruling allows the couple to challenge the EPA head-on in court, but the real battle begins now. The case has brought attention to the EPA's reach. While the court only allowed a challenge to be brought, in a concurring opinion, Justice Samuel Alito noted that the law allowing EPA to demand compliance is overly broad.
"The reach of the Clean Water Act is notoriously unclear. Any piece of land that is wet at least part of the year is in danger of being classified by EPA employees as wetlands covered by the act, and according to the federal government, if property owners begin to construct a home on a lot that the agency thinks possesses the requisite wetness, the property owners are at the agency's mercy," Alito wrote.
"The court's decision provides a modest measure of relief," he added. "But the combination of the uncertain reach of the Clean Water Act and the draconian penalties imposed for the sort of violations alleged in this case still leaves most property owners with little practical alternative but to dance to the EPA's tune.
Real relief requires Congress to do what it should have done in the first place: provide a reasonably clear rule regarding the reach of the Clean Water Act."
The couple, which termed the battle "David versus Goliath," has earned support from several lawmakers who want to reduce the grasp of the EPA on private property. Reps. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Idaho Republican Sens. Mike Crapo and Jim Risch, all joined the Chantells and other couples in a forum last fall about limiting EPA authority.
Labrador congratulated the Sacketts after the ruling.
"The federal government is an intimidating force against ordinary citizens, and standing up to its bureaucracy requires extraordinary bravery. Thanks to the unwavering courage and selfless sacrifice of the Sacketts, Americans everywhere will be guaranteed the right to appeal a decision imposed by a government agency. Their victory also safeguards individual property rights against the encroachment of the federal government, a fundamental assurance of our Constitution," he said.
Good to see meetings on nonferrous mining with all stakeholders
More public discussion the better
Mesabi Daily News - 03/18/12
For years the public was told by former 8th District U.S. Rep.
James Oberstar and other officials that work was being done “behind the scenes” to move along the PolyMet copper/nickel/precious metals project slated for the former LTV Mining Co. site near Hoyt Lakes.
But “behind the scenes” obviously just didn’t do much, which begs the question: “Just what was being done ‘behind the scenes and why was it so necessary to keep the public out of the loop?’”
It is now clear that there was no good reason for the public — which is strongly supportive of nonferrous mining on the Range done in an environmentally safe way meeting state and federal
standards — to have been treated as an outsider regarding this project of such immense importance to the region, state and
country.
An informed and aroused public on an issue of jobs and the economy and the environment is always a plus and often can be quite a stimulative asset to get something done with more
dispatch.
That’s why we are extremely pleased that new 8th District Congressman Chip Cravaack initiated a series of meetings (there
have been four such gatherings now) when he took office in January 2011 to bring all stakeholders together and in the same
room — supporters and opponents alike — to keep information flowing on the project. And then for regular updates for the public after those meetings.
The congressman has said the first meeting was a bit contentious. That certainly was not unexpected and there really is nothing
wrong with that. It’s better for people to voice differences face-to-face rather than behind each other’s backs.
What’s so good about having these regular meetings is that everyone hears the same information in the same room, rather
than participating in the old telephone game as kids where what was first said changes considerably as the message is passed down the line.
These meetings also get Democrats and Republicans and Bureaucrats together at the same table. If that has been uncomfortable for
some — TOUGH. This is not an issue that should have a “D” or “R” or “B” in front of anyone’s name. Everyone should be sporting a “J” for Jobs.
And the PolyMet project is about a lot of “Js” — at least 350 full-time ones, hundreds more in spin-off positions and 1.5 million hours of construction work.
Those numbers then grow considerably when other copper/nickel/precious metals projects in development — such as
Twin Metals — are tallied.
The more public discussion, debate and knowledge the better.
Cravaack Optimistic about PolyMet's Future
Duluth, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) - The meeting—held at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency office in Duluth—featured speakers on behalf of the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers.
While well sample studies and various environmental concerns have delayed forward progress, according to Cravaack, communication among involved parties has considerably improved.
Cravaack says he's fairly certain that no other mining project has undergone such intense scrutiny in the 8th District of Minnesota.
"We are doing the best we can to making sure we meet the environmental standards that are being required—protecting our natural resources—but, at the same time, harvesting the natural resources that we need as a country," said Cravaack.
Congressman Cravaack added that—if forward progress continues uninterrupted, non ferrous mining movement could be seen as early as 2013.
Sled-dog trek highlights fight in DFL over Iron Range projects.
MINNPOST - 03/06/12
For decades, the resource-rich acres of northeastern Minnesota have been a battleground over jobs versus the environment. The fight shows no signs of letting up as two companies proceed with plans to extract minerals such as copper, palladium and gold from mines on the Iron Range and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
On Thursday, environmental activist Frank Moe, a former DFL state representative from the Iron Range, will finish a 350-mile sled dog trek from Grand Marais on the steps of the state Capitol. He will bear petitions with thousands of signatures calling for a moratorium on mineral mining.
“We are against sulfide mining pollution,” said Moe, interviewed just before he set off from Duluth. “The issue is the threat to our clean water and all of the jobs dependent on this – recreation and tourism jobs, at least 30,000. We don’t want to lose those jobs chasing a few hundred jobs.”
Inside the Capitol, David Dill, Moe’s former colleague and now his DFL state representative from Hovland, is prepared to counter his arguments point by point.
“One job is precious,” said Dill. He cites the loss of 20,000 people in northeast Minnesota Senate districts. They moved elsewhere, he said, to find the jobs that technology took away in the timber and taconite business.
“If we can find a way to get one family back to work, that’s the key element to put northeast Minnesota back to work,” Dill said.
Support from officials:
The Iron Range delegation — along with labor unions and most local government officials from the area — support the most advanced of the projects: proposals from PolyMet Mining Corp. and Twin Metals. PolyMet, based in Vancouver, has an environmental impact statement for the project under review by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Dill wants the review to proceed. “To say the PolyMet project will harm the tourist industry is completely premature,” he said.
He accuses Moe and other environmental activists of fear mongering. There are rules and regulations in place to govern these projects, he said. “Their claims are based on projects in states that don’t have the environmental regulations that Minnesota has.”
Moe says he doesn’t need to wait for EPA approval. The “Sled Dog to St. Paul” coalition maintains the pollution potential is real and the environmental and safety records of the mining companies are troubling.
“The track record shows that this cannot be done safely,” he said. “Water and air when exposed to sulfur creates sulfuric acid that kills everything.”
Disagree over terms:
Moe and Dill can’t even agree on what to call the mining ventures. Moe calls it “sulfide mining,” referring to the process that extracts precious metals, widely used in manufacturing electronics, from rocks that contain sulfides.
“There is no such thing as sulfide mining,” Dill responds. “The Range delegation takes great offense at people who call it that. It just so happens there are sulfides in those formations.”
The back and forth is part of a larger debate within the DFL Party about the priority of environmental concerns over job-creation in a soft economy. For the moment, the environment has taken a back seat. In one of the first executive orders of his administration, DFL Gov. Mark Dayton moved to streamline the state’s environmental permitting process.
Moe fires back: “I’m glad that the Minnesota Legislature and the governor care about jobs. The people whose jobs I want to protect are those that depend on the environment.”
For Dill, who invokes the DFL caucus platform of jobs, education and health care, mineral mining with its promise of employment and benefits “hits the DFL target straight in the eye.”
He worries about political clashes. “When you have the fringes working against something, that’s not helpful,” he said.
The disagreements have time to simmer. The coalitions, for and against, have time to grow stronger. The Environmental Protection Agency has asked for more rigorous testing of environmental consequences, testing that PolyMet says is underway. The latest educated guess pushes approval or disapproval of an EIS into fall and construction, if at all, to 2014.
Congressman Holds Town Hall Meeting In Gilbert
Mesabi Daily News - 03/04/12
POLYMET PORTION ONLY
‘I’m hearing a state agency has issues’ with PolyMet.
Cravaack also was asked by an audience member about the long delayed copper/nickel/precious metals PolyMet project on
the east Range.
“It’s frustrating,” he said, adding that he has heard “a state agency has some issues.” Cravaack said he hopes to know more about the project’s status and any problems during the next meeting with all stakeholders on March 12 in Duluth. It will be one of the roundtables on the issue Cravaack initiated last
year.
AFTER THE MEETING
Regarding PolyMet, Cravaack said he believes all federal officials and agencies are pulling in the same direction, but a
state agency “has some issues.” After the town hall, Cravaack filled out that comment when asked if the agency was the Department of Natural Resources? “Yes, that’s what I’ve heard,”
he said.
Cravaack said the nonferrous project is vital to the future economic health of the Range and Minnesota. It would create 350 permanent jobs, hundreds more spin-off jobs and a projected 1.5 million hours of construction work. He said plans now call for an Environmental Impact Statement to be ready by summer. There
has already been more than eight years of environmental review.