Over the past week the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources finally issued all of the permits necessary for the construction and operation of the PolyMet copper, nickel, and platinum group mining operation in Hoyt Lakes. Minnesota now positions itself as a future leading supplier for the domestic and global need for metals we use to build our businesses, our homes, our cars, and our most beloved electronic devices.

At current market prices, the value of these metals tops $100,000,000,000. That's $100 billion. Let's break this astronomical number down in real terms. The state of Minneso...