Today, I’ve got a new column on some of the latest twists in Minnesota’s copper-nickel mining debate.
I’m well aware that my position on copper-nickel mining in northern Minnesota is like some rare single-cell organism that only survives within a narrow temperature band found near active volcanos at the bottom of the ocean. I know how annoying this is, if only because it is incredibly annoying to me, too.
I wish I could just bliss out and slap one of the “YES!” or “NO!” bumper stickers on my car, forehead or dog. I’d revel in the certainty such an ideology provides.
Unfortunately, I’m an American who consumes mined minerals, adores nature and, worst of all, studies history. I’m paranoid about all the ways this could go wrong, but also can’t rule out strategic mining.
So, when President Trump’s administration puts NewRange Minerals’ NorthMet project, formerly known as PolyMet, on a federal priority list, I can’t react with the zeal of a fan. No yay, no boo. I only see how this really doesn’t change the fundamentals of the project.
The fate of NorthMet is in the hands of its owners, Glencore and Teck Resources. Environmentalists and judges can’t stop a detailed, accurate plan that comes with financial assurances. It’s just that doing this cuts into the narrow profit margin of a project that has hovered near feasibility for more than two decades.
A declining economy certainly doesn’t help.
You can read a whole lot more in my latest column, “Trump boosts NorthMet, but mines need strong economy, not just bluster,” is in the Wednesday, May 7, 2025 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
One response to “Economy, company commitments to determine real fate of NorthMet project”
Really enjoyed this piece as well as the Strib version. I feel the same way about NorthMet and similar projects – we need the minerals but are they worth the tradeoffs? Having studied the effects of hard rock mining in Montana, I don’t think it’s a good bet. Companies like Glencore know how to play the game and walk away from the liability. You can argue that the technology is better but all technologies fail at some point.