Land exchange, sulfates and other signs of dysfunction

Thank you for the March 27 editorial discussing the recent MPCA sulfate pollution standard announcement and the related political machinations.

Some elected officials are a nearly unlimited source of amusement—of the “I don’t know whether to laugh or cry” kind—as they facilitate the pollution of our public waters and the manipulation of our government by mining companies. In a March 27 news article about the MPCA announcement, the Timberjay quoted Rep. David Dill as saying that he had “received about 100 e-mails” urging him to support the 10-milligram sulfate standard and that “those people should just write [him] a letter saying they don’t support mining.” That, of course, is the litmus test. If you “don’t support mining” then you are a person whose views are not worthy of consideration. Dill dismisses out of hand 100 people who were concerned enough to write to him. Sen. Tom Bakk has refused to meet with people who think that copper mining in the Boundary Waters watershed is a bad idea, and Rep. Jason Metsa terminated a meeting with citizens when he discovered that they were opposed to such mining.

That kind of disrespectful stonewalling is not the only reason to be frustrated. The March 27 Timberjay reported on the recent Forest Service open house featuring a proposed land exchange between the state and the federal government involving 30,000 acres of school trust land in the Boundary Waters. The Timberjay quotes Ray Marsnik, Ely school board president, as saying “This is a big deal especially for our school district, because it would generate more money for us.” I have no doubt that Mr. Marsnik has been led to believe that is true, and I have no doubt that Mr. Marsnik sincerely wants to do everything possible to help Ely schools. But, it is unfortunate that he thinks the proposed land exchange might actually result in a meaningful financial contribution to Ely schools. In 2012, when I analyzed the performance of school trust lands in preparation for a hearing before the St. Louis County Board, I discovered that in fiscal year 2011 the school trust lands generated $6.62 in income per acre for the permanent school fund (PSF). If the 30,000 acres in the Boundary Waters were exchanged for 30,000 acres of National Forest land outside the Boundary Waters and that exchanged land performed at the same average rate as other school trust lands at that time, the amount of income generated for the PSF would be $198,600 annually (30,000 acres X $6.62 per acre). The PSF pays out about 3 percent annually. At those historic rates, in the first year after an exchange 30,000 acres of exchanged land would contribute $5,958 to Minnesota schools (.03 X $198,600). Minnesota had about 840,000 public school students in 2011, so the 30,000 acres would contribute about .007 cents (seven-tenths of one cent) per student. I have not updated this analysis, but I am not aware of any reason that the numbers would have changed in any significant way. The Forest Service lands now considered for exchange would be far more valuable to kids as a place to have a picnic, play hide-and-seek, pick berries, or walk around with a science teacher identifying plants.

Reid Carron

Morse Twp., Minn.