Will you submit a comment to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in support of mining in our state?

The DNR has been ordered by the Court to review the state’s nonferrous mining rule and is accepting public comment through December 8, 2021.

It’s critical that the DNR hears from you that the comprehensive environmental protections and the stringent regulatory review processes already in place are adequate, and a review of the non-ferrous mining rule is unnecessary.

We must show strong support in Minnesota and beyond to protect our state’s economic future.

Submit your comments to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources here.

Make your voice heard by submitting a comment through the DNR’s online form (recommended) or via mail to the below address:

MN Department of Natural Resources
ATTN: Nonferrous Mine Siting Rule
500 Lafayette Road N, Box 45
St. Paul, MN 55155-4045

Instructions to submit your comment online:

1. Go to the DNR website comment page: https://survey.mn.gov/s.asp?k=163595161979
2. Scroll to bottom to acknowledge and accept the terms.
3. Click through automated images to prove you’re not a robot.
4. Enter your contact information.
5. Draft your comment in the online comment box provided or upload documents. You can use the draft message below as a starting point for your comment.
6. Click the “Submit” button below to ensure that your comments are received.

This comment period is associated with a court approved process. It is important that commenters provide substantive information on why the siting rule should not be changed. Comments that only focus on general support for mining, without providing further information for DNR to consider, will not be helpful in the decision-making process about the adequacy of the existing nonferrous rule.

Please copy and paste the message below into the DNR form’s comment box and amend as you see fit:

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources:

I am writing in support of upholding the current non-ferrous mining rules in place in Minnesota, because these rules are designed to strongly protect our environment and ensure any new proposed mining project meets the stringent standards in place before it can be permitted. I support upholding the current non-ferrous rules for the following reasons.Every new mining project deserves to be evaluated individually and specific to their site, design and unique geology.

The DNR should determine that it can depend on a broad range of environmental review and regulatory tools to assess the specifics of a mining proposal and ensure that it is regulated to the fullest extent necessary to protect the BWCAW.

The purpose of the DNR’s nonferrous mining rule is not to either prohibit nonferrous mining in the Rainy River watershed or grant blanket permission for mining to begin. Federal and state environmental laws, rules, and regulations require the successful completion of extensive review and permitting processes for mining operations to begin.

The state of Minnesota has already taken the necessary actions to protect the BWCAW through a long history of federal and state actions that strictly govern mining activity.

The rules are designed to act as a framework within which specific permit requirements are to be developed to address the unique issues anticipated to exist at each individual mine site, and they are meant to adapt to mining developments as they evolve, and technologies improve.

Mining in Minnesota has for more than 130 years coexisted with the wilderness and supported the economic stability of our state.

The Minnesota courts already rejected a challenge to these same rules in 2019.

I strongly support the DNR upholding the validity of the current non-ferrous mining rules, because the rules and the stringent regulatory review process in place are designed to adequately protect our environment, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Submit your comments to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources here.

When you have completed your form, please share this message with your network and encourage your friends and family to also submit a comment in support of Mining in Minnesota.

Thank you!