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.
