Company makes formal mining proposal to DNR

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Wednesday that it has received a proposal from Talon Metals for a nickel mining project near the Carlton County and Aitkin County border. The proposed project, known as the Tamarack Nickel Mine, would involve construction of an underground mine and supporting facilities approximately 1.5 miles north of Tamarack in Aitkin County, 36 miles west of Cloquet and six miles from Wright in far western Carlton County. The project would have an 80-acre footprint on the surface that would include an access portal to the underground mine, temporary storage for ore and waste rock, and facilities to collect and treat water.

Talon plans to mine ore-bearing rock containing nickel and other precious metals at depths of 500 to 2,000 feet below the surface. Mined rock would be transported by rail to a processing facility in Mercer County, North Dakota. Disposal of waste tailings would also occur at the Mercer County facility.

State law requires that the proposed project requires preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), with the DNR as the designated responsible governmental unit.

“We understand that Minnesotans have widely differing perspectives regarding this proposed project and nonferrous mining more broadly,” said Katie Smith, director of the DNR’s Ecological and Water Resources Division. “The DNR, however, must base its decisions on the facts and the law. I want to assure all Minnesotans that the DNR is committed to a rigorous, transparent, and neutral review of the project, based on science and applicable state law.”

In the near term, DNR will review the submittal to assess whether the basic information is present to begin scoping, the first phase of the EIS process. The purpose of scoping is to identify:

• The potentially significant environmental and socioeconomic issues requiring detailed analysis in the EIS, reasonable project alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS.

• Potential environmental mitigation options to address project impacts.

Scoping helps the agency focus environmental review on the most important issues and also helps determine alternatives, timelines, and additional data needs. There will also be at least one public scoping meeting and an opportunity for the public to comment on the draft scope of the EIS prior to DNR finalizing the scope. This public meeting and comment opportunity will be announced later.

The DNR has launched a webpage for the proposed mine

at mndnr.gov/input/enviro nmentalreview/tamarack- nickel-project.html. The page includes basic information about the project, status updates, and timelines.