Minnesota regulators are accepting public comments on a proposed nickel mine northeast of Mille Lacs Lake that has drawn opposition from tribes and environmentalists.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is accepting comments on the Tamarack Mine until Sept. 14. It’s the first time the public has a chance to weigh in on the project, which has been in a back and forth with state and tribal governments for the past three years.
The Tamarack Mine is a joint venture between Talon Metals Corp. and the international mining corporation Rio Tinto, which wants to extract nickel from deep beneath the Earth’s surface.
The mine aims to meet the demand for nickel sparked by the transition to a cleaner economy. The metal is used in electric vehicle batteries and to create high-performance alloys used in wind turbines and solar panels.
The Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and Minnesota environmentalists are concerned about the project’s potential impacts. Nickel mining is known to cause significant water pollution. If pollutants were to enter the flowing waters of central Minnesota, it could be devastating, Mille Lacs Band Chief Executive Virgil Wind told Sahan Journal.
“There’s just so much at risk here for short term gain,” Wind said. “Once water is tainted it’s just never itself again.”
What is the Tamarack mine?
The Tamarack mining project is a proposed copper-nickel mine in central Minnesota. The site is located north and east of Mille Lacs Lake, roughly 30 miles west of Cloquet. It is located in the Mississippi River Watershed.
The proposed mine is near several Ojibwe communities that are part of the Mille Lacs Band. It’s a few miles from Rice Lake, part of a National Wildlife Refuge and home to a pristine wild rice bed harvested by the tribal members.
It would be the first nickel focused mine in Minnesota and just the second in the country. The first, Eagle Mine in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, has extracted nickel and copper for more than 11 years.
Unlike shallower ore and taconite mines that have historically dominated Minnesota, nickel reserves are far below the earth’s surface. The mine would dig a tunnel that delves deep underground to extract nickel, copper and other metals.
Talon Metals says the project will fill a growing demand for nickel fueled by batteries used in electric vehicles. In response to a DNR comment on a recent environmental assessment, Talon said the company has a purchase agreement with Tesla to buy 165 million pounds of nickel from the project.
The company has also been supported by the federal government. In 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense contributed $20 million to help the company look for nickel deposits in Minnesota and Michigan.
The project marks the first time tribal nations have been invited to comment and review proposals early on, alongside the DNR. The Mille Lacs Band and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa have been actively engaged in the environmental review process since 2023. That participation has been appreciated, Wind said, but the Mille Lacs Band’s concerns haven’t changed.
What are the environmental risks of nickel mining?
Nickel mining has a poor environmental track record because of its risks to water, according to Joy Anderson, an attorney with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy.
Mining requires cutting through tons of waste rock to reach valuable metals. The nickel at Tamarack is surrounded by sulfide waste rock, which oxidizes when exposed to air and water and forms acid mine drainage. This battery-acid-like compound can cause major water pollution.
“We never asked for a nickel sulfide mine to be in our back yard,” Mille Lacs Band Natural Resources Commissioner Kelly Applegate said. “We simply want to continue to be Ojibwe Anishainabe interacting with the natural world, and clean water is a huge part of it. ”
Another environmental concern is the ripple effect on wetlands and peatlands from digging the mine, which will involve pumping out huge quantities of water, Anderson said.
The flowing wetlands in the project area are interconnected, and form a natural sponge across the landscape, Wind said.
“They’re not going to be able to dig this hole in the middle of that sponge without encountering a lot of water, and what does that do in the surrounding area?” Wind said.
There are also air pollution implications from the project, Anderson said, from crushing waste rock and bringing it to the surface.
Talon Metals says its plans to extract nickel deep underground minimizes the amount of time waste rock spends on the surface, which helps prevent risks from acid mine drainage. The company says the project will only be approved if it can meet rigorous state environmental standards throughout the permitting process. Talon will also be required to meet the state’s sulfate standard meant to protect wild rice.
Where does the project stand?
After three years of preliminary environmental review, DNR officials posted a draft of what is known as a scoping document Tuesday.
The scoping document determines the factors around the project that must be thoroughly analyzed during the formal Environmental Impact Statement, Anderson said.
“This is really step one for Talon,” she said.
After the 60-day comment period, the DNR will have at least six-weeks to finalize the scoping document. Once finalized, it could take more than a year before a draft Environmental Impact Statement is presented to the public, which will be followed by more comment periods. The DNR does not speculate on the length of the process, but any final approval or denial of the mine is likely years in the future.
But the 60-day comment period on the scoping document gives the public its first chance to provide feedback to state regulators. Wind said he hopes people from all over Minnesota participate.
“The more public comments, be it technical or broad, about the land and water that we all share and the resources that we all share is very important,” Wind said.
While tribes, lawyers and environmentalists may provide highly specific comments, experts say that anyone is welcome to share their thoughts on the project.
“People absolutely can provide really critical feedback from DNR even if they’re not a professional,” Anderson said.
How to weigh in
The DNR is accepting public comments on the scoping document until Sept. 14. The document will determine what exactly needs to be reviewed and considered during the formal Environmental Impact Statement.
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This story was originally published by Sahan Journal and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
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