East Range mining rumble coming to St. Paul

This Mesabi Daily News story from yesterday explores the legislative strategy of environmental groups opposed to the PolyMet mining project on the East Range. The MDN also writes about the legislative strategy of pro-development groups, but usually in the form of drippingly-ironic editorials.

Is drippingly a word?

Anyway, there will be a legislative smackdown over sulfide mining this winter with most of the fighting occurring within the DFL caucus. The real number to watch is not the vote count (PolyMet will get its permits somehow, I expect), but the price of copper, nickel and other minerals that PolyMet intends to mine. These prices have been dropping and, if they don’t recover, the permits aren’t the problem anymore.

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