http://www.kare11.com/default.aspx [Minneapolis-St. Paul]
HOYT LAKES, Minn. – A major proposed mining project on Minnesota’s Iron Range has nothing to do with iron ore, but could still hold the key to the region’s economic future or lead to its environmental destruction, depending on who you ask.
There is no doubt that the possibility of mining for copper, nickel and other precious metals in an area with a tradition of mining, as well as a tradition of impeccable cleanliness and beauty, has been contentious. The new debate is ramping up as a company that could be the first to mine for copper and nickel in Minnesota moves further along in the regulatory process.
The deposit of copper, nickel and other precious metals like platinum, palladium and gold is one of the world’s largest. It’s called the Duluth Complex and stretches approximately 150 miles from Duluth to the Canadian border.
The Duluth complex was discovered decades ago, but because of the geologic make-up of the deposit, only more recently has technology been developed to mine the ore efficiently. Geologists say the Duluth complex contains billions of tons of ore potentially worth trillions of dollars. Many companies have staked a claim in the rich mineral deposit.
And so the discussion begins.
On Minnesota’s Iron Range, a century of iron ore mining built many communities.
“That’s my dad – Willy ‘Winko’ Erzar,” says Bill Erzar, a third generation miner from Ely, as he points to a 1950’s era photograph of his dad working at the old Pioneer underground iron ore mine. Erzar is proud of his mining heritage.
“Those mining jobs provided our families, our parents with a living that could send us to college or kept us in clothes or food and a nice home,” Erzar says. “Those kind of jobs contributed greatly to the economic stability of the community.”
While mining on the west side of the Iron Range continues today, the last of the underground mines near Ely shut down in the 1960s. But with the copper nickel potential, Erzar has hope for a new generation of mining on the east range.
“When you look at that opportunity for mining jobs…Those of us who have lived here all our lives, that’s part of us,” Erzar says.
The debate over copper-nickel mining now plays out on front yards and along highways in northern Minnesota. There are many signs clearly supporting mining and others pointing to the potential environmental consequences of copper-nickel mining in particular.
In the east range community of Hoyt Lakes, most people don’t consider themselves divided. In Mark Novosel’s 35 years in Hoyt Lakes, he saw a once booming community empty out.
“Well, we’re a mining community without a mine. That’s never a good fit,” says Novosel.
LTV shut down its Hoyt Lakes taconite plant more than ten years ago. 1400 mining jobs went away leaving the company town looking for a company. But a company found them.
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