Stauber Lauds Decision to Issue Final Federal Permit for PolyMet NorthMet Project

HERMANTOWN, MN – Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) made the following statement applauding the Army Corps of Engineers' decision to issue its Section 404 wetlands permit and Record of Decision for the NorthMet Project, the final permit needed to begin development of northeastern Minnesota's valuable natural resources.

"This decision is excellent news as PolyMet now holds all necessary permits to construct and operate a project bringing prosperity to our region for decades," said Stauber. "Families in northeastern Minnesota have been waiting fourteen years, throughout the longest environmental review in our state's history, for PolyMet to begin mining the NorthMet ore body. This project will create hundreds of jobs and generate millions of dollars in revenue for improvement of our infrastructure and schools."

Stauber followed, saying, "This decision marks a major moment in our state's mining history as PolyMet will become the first company on the Iron Range to mine copper, nickel and other precious metals critical to meeting our manufacturing, national security, and infrastructure needs. I look forward to seeing every community across northeastern Minnesota enjoy the opportunities this mine will create."

Background:

According to a study done by the UMD Labovitz School of Business and Economics, each year of the NorthMet project's life will bring $515 million to St. Louis County alone.

Congressman Stauber has been an ardent supporter of the NorthMet Project, even introducing H.R. 527, the Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act, a bill in the House of Representatives that would codify a land exchange of approximately 6,650 acres of federally-owned surface land above and around the NorthMet ore body to PolyMet and 6,690 acres of private land to the United States Forest Service.

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