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on February 15, 2019
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Green New Delusion Would Require Lots of Mining, But Will Walz Allow it in MN?

Written by Isaac Orr
in Climate, Energy, Environment, Mining

The Green New Deal (GND) has become the talk of the down despite the fact that Ernie Moniz, the head of the Department of Energy under the Obama administration, has called the deal impractical. However, renewable energy advocates are pressuring lawmakers in St. Paul to push ahead with their own GND for Minnesota, but the question remains, where will the copper, nickel, cobalt, and manganese come from? An article from Geologyforinvestors.com suggests there will be as many as 125 million electric cars on the road within the next decade, which may be overly optimistic, but we'll see. The more important point...

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on January 22, 2019
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Center of the American Experiment Submits Comments Supporting Twin Metals Minnesota Mineral Lease Renewal

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment, Greater Minnesota, Mining, Minnesota Economy

Center of the American Experiment continues to support responsible mining in Minnesota by submitting public comments to the Bureau of Land Management urging them to renew the mineral leases for the Twin Metals Minnesota. These comments discuss the massive economic benefits expanded mining would bring to Minnesota, discuss the myriad shortcomings in the letter written to the U.S. Forest Service written by Harvard economist James Stock, and emphasizes the strong environmental track record of modern mines. You can read the comments at the link below....

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on January 21, 2019
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With Rise of Electric Vehicles, a New Foreign Energy Dependence Looms

Written by Isaac Orr
in Environment, Mining, Minnesota Economy

Self-identified environmentalists in Minnesota want to increase the adoption of wind, solar, and electric vehicles in our state, but they also generally oppose opening new mines in Minnesota that would help provide the copper, nickel, and cobalt that will be needed to actually build the wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars they profess to care so much about. [caption id="attachment_11096" align="aligncenter" width="748"] One 3-MW turbine contains. 335 tons of steel. 4.7 tons of copper. 1,200 tons of concrete (cement and aggregates) 3 tons of aluminum. 2 tons of rare earth elements. aluminum. zinc. molybdenum. (NW Mining Association)[/caption]   Cobalt is an especially...

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on January 10, 2019
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Eye On Mining: Gov. Walz Talks Copper-Nickel Mining

Written by Isaac Orr
in Environment, Mining, Minnesota Economy

Governor Walz talked a good game in the interview by saying he supported copper-nickel mining in Minnesota and that we must follow the science, but his selection of Sarah Strommen as the new commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, who has ties to anti-mining groups, is concerning....

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on January 09, 2019
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Listen Up: The Great Minnesota Mining Debate Featuring Isaac Orr and Kevin Lee of Minnesota Center of Environmental Advocacy

Written by Isaac Orr
in Environment, Mining, Minnesota Economy

Last year I participated in a debate about the future of copper nickel mining in Minnesota at the Theater of Public Policy with Kevin Lee, from the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. The debate was very civil, and then improv actors have some fun with what they learned about the issue. Audience members had strong opinions on both sides of the issue but we were able to co-exist. Since then, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency have granted the PolyMet mining project all of the necessary permits to build the mine. My performance obviously tipped the balance,...

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on January 01, 2019
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Ringing in the New Year with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly for Energy and Environmental Policy for 2019

Written by Isaac Orr
in Energy, Environment, Minnesota Economy

Happy New Year, everyone! You may or may not be recuperating from last night's events, but here is a short post on the upcoming, good, bad, and ugly happenings for energy and environmental policy in 2019. The Good: PolyMet PolyMet's NorthMet mining project has cleared all of the regulatory hurdles needed at the state level, leaving a wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as the final remaining substantive approval. Thankfully, we have a President in the White House who understands the importance of mining and will not delay the project as long as possible in the regulatory morass, like...

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on December 31, 2018
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Twin Metals Keeps On Winning, Despite Best Efforts of Urban DFL

Written by Isaac Orr
in Environment, Greater Minnesota, Mining, Minnesota Economy

Minnesota is home to the world's largest undeveloped deposits of copper, nickel, and platinum group elements, and developing these mineral resources will be a massive boost to the economy of our state. While the PolyMet mine has received the necessary permits from the state, the proposed Twin Metals mine has been the ire of urban liberals and environmentalists who do not want to see the mine developed. Fortunately, according to an article in MinnPost, the Trump administration has other ideas and has taken several concrete steps to support the project. The Obama administration blocked new mineral leases for Twin Metals in 2016,...

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on December 21, 2018
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PolyMet Granted Key Permits from Minnesota Pollution Control Agency!

Written by Isaac Orr
in Mining, Minnesota Economy

Great news! The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has granted the final permits for the PolyMet copper-nickel project in northern Minnesota to move forward. According to PCA: "The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) today issued the final air and water permits for PolyMet’s proposed NorthMet project in northeastern Minnesota. “Issuing these permits comes after a years-long process that saw the most thorough environmental review any construction project has ever had in Minnesota,” MPCA Commissioner John Linc Stine said. “We are confident the requirements in these permits will protect the environment and human health over the long term.” The MPCA developed draft permits and released them...

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