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This is not just a political battle. This is for the survival of the small communities of NE Minnesota. Tourism has been on a steady decline for almost a decade with no end in sight. The USFS keeps tightening the regulations concerning the BWCAW making it harder for people to enjoy the wilderness area. At last count there are 26 businesses for sale just in the city of Ely. If you can truthfully call that a thriving economy your definition is different then mine. Twin Metals and PolyMet are the ray of hope these communities have been looking for over the past decade. They give the chance of good paying jobs with benefits that you don't find with the tourism industry. The technology is there to do this type of mining in an environmentally safe manner protecting both the land and the water. I know all you hear is the doom and gloom from the anti mining factions, but listen to the pro mining side and the facts instead of the emotion driven pleading of the antis. If we do not seize this opportunity for our communities we will see the loss of the hospital in Ely and ever dwindling enrollment in our schools. Tower for one should know what happens when the enrollment gets to low to sustain both an elementary and a high school. We on the pro mining side of this do not want that to happen. We want to see our communities revitalized and become thriving economically again. We just want a fair chance and for the government to follow long established policies instead of changing the rules to suit a few selfish elitist environmentalists needs.