Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness is working to protect, preserve and restore the wilderness character of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Quetico-Superior ecosystem.
I’m sharing 2 online petitions to take a look at. Click the links if you wish to sign. Both petitions are to help make a change in the long history of pollution from copper-sulfide mining and protect against the risks to Minnesota’s environment and clean water.
Hold Legislative Hearings into the PolyMet Permitting Process
Minnesota is a state where transparency in government is welcomed and expected. Unfortunately, the permitting process for the proposed PolyMet copper-sulfide mine fell short of this expectation. It is clear from the numerous court filings, news reports and whistleblower complaints, that the permitting process was irregular and Minnesota’s agencies did not thoroughly consider whether the mine would be safe and protect Minnesota’s clean water. These numerous and severe problems need to be addressed through legislative hearings.
Legislative hearings will allow for the facts to be heard and for the public to learn the truth about the PolyMet permitting process. As Minnesotans, voters, taxpayers, and believers in protecting Minnesota’s clean water, we call on you to immediately hold legislative hearings into these issues.
https://friends-bwca.salsalabs.org/petitiontoopposepolymetminepermits/index.html
Support Prove It First Legislation in Minnesota
The long history of pollution from copper-sulfide mining shows that it presents substantial risks to Minnesota’s environment and clean water. The proposed “Prove-It-First” Legislation would require an applicant seeking to permit a copper-sulfide mine in Minnesota to submit documentation that a copper-sulfide mine operated elsewhere in the United States for at least ten years without polluting groundwater or surface water and that the mine has been closed for at least ten years without polluting groundwater or surface water.
The logic is clear: Before a company can move forward with its plans to open a sulfide mine in Minnesota, it must show at least one example of where it has been done safely.
This proposed Prove-It-First Legislation for Minnesota is straightforward and has common-sense appeal. We know the record of copper-sulfide mining. We have heard the industry’s empty promises. Minnesota is a not a test case or a guinea pig. Before a shovel touches the ground, we need proof that it will not pollute.
I support enacting Prove-It-First Legislation in Minnesota.
https://friends-bwca.salsalabs.org/petitionproveitfirst/index.html
