News

The St. Louis County Board has passed a resolution in support of nonferrous mining. The vote passed by a 4-3 margin as the Morse townhall was packed with both supporters and those against. Read More from Mesabi Daily News.

The full text of the resolution is below:

“Be it resolved that the St. Louis County Board declares its support for the existing open, transparent and comprehensive environmental review and permitting process in place for various non-ferrous mining initiatives currently planned for development in St. Louis County, Minnesota, and supports the success of these projects, contingent upon the approval of all federal and state environmental permits necessary for these projects to move forward.”

Download Resolution #2011-32 by City of Ely, Minnesota.

Bill Travis, President of IDEA Drilling, states:

“We believe the nonferrous projects will provide much needed jobs and can be done in a way to protect our environment. The jobs potential is not just current jobs for construction and the future mines, but provides jobs for supporting companies like IDEA and provides much needed business for our vendors and suppliers, and the many other service, retail and restaurant businesses in our communities. Furthermore, the nonferrous projects provide long-term job opportunities for our youth and a better financial foundation for area families. We also believe in the individuals who are leading the environmental agencies and the investing mineral exploration and mining companies … we are confident that these people can and will work together to ensure that the necessary environmental permits are achieved and the necessary processes are in place to protect the long-term health of the beautiful northwoods and to retain air and water quality in our region.”