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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Nolan aide gets earful from Ely voters

Keith Vandervort
Posted 2/22/17

ELY – “My main goal is to protect wildlife areas. Where there is no wildlife area to protect, I can’t work.”

That simple yet profound statement came from Cory Hamilton, a student at …

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Nolan aide gets earful from Ely voters

Posted

ELY – “My main goal is to protect wildlife areas. Where there is no wildlife area to protect, I can’t work.”

That simple yet profound statement came from Cory Hamilton, a student at Vermilion Community College who is studying environmental science, during a “Congress Comes to You” listening session Tuesday afternoon in the Ely City Council Chambers.

Hamilton, along with about 50 other Ely-area residents filled the chambers to voice their concerns and opinions about a number of topics to Jordan Metsa, a field and constituent services representative for U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan.

In what Metsa described as an “extraordinarily civil” session, the vast majority of those in attendance spoke against Nolan’s recent urging for the Trump administration to take a side in the controversial debate over copper-nickel mining near Ely.

Earlier this month, Nolan’s office announced he had sent a letter to the Undersecretary of Agriculture, which oversees the U.S. Forest Service, asking the new administration to overturn the planned scientific study of a possible withdrawal of longstanding mineral leases that Twin Metals had previously held near the Kawishiwi River, potentially leaving the door open for copper-nickel mining on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

“If this (scientific study) process is denied, it is also a denial for younger generations to get into this field to work and to someday earn Social Security. If this process is denied, it will be a huge slap in the face to everyone here. Minnesota is known to have high environmental standards. So if the rest of the country sees that we denied the process, what does that tell the rest of the country. We need to be a good example for everyone else, and to allow the process to go forward to make people aware of the impact that pollution can have.”

While the Ely area is relatively split in half by people who support copper-nickel mining and the jobs it promises, and those who would like to see steps taken to protect the wilderness and water quality in northeastern Minnesota, as many as 70 percent of state residents have shown opposition to mining so close to the BWCAW, a fact that will weigh heavily in Nolan’s potential bid to run for governor of Minnesota in 2018.

Metsa was faced with a large majority of mining opponents in Ely this week and at least 10 people made their voices heard, versus one resident who spoke in favor of copper-nickel mining in the mining near the BWCAW.

Outspoken mining opponent Becky Rom provided a bit of a history lesson on the Twin Metals mineral lease renewal process and the Forest Service’s advice to the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw consent of lease renewal until a comprehensive and scientific study takes place. “We are here today because we urge Rep. Nolan to support the study, It is incredibly important that we make decisions about the Boundary Waters that are based on science and the law,” Rom said.

“It has been the policy of the state of Minnesota since 1910 that not all of our publicly-owned minerals are to be developed. We don’t have mines where Old Faithful is. We don’t have mines in the middle of Grand Canyon National Park or Yosemite. We don’t allow mines in a lot of other places that are sensitive ,vulnerable and valuable lands,” she said.

“It is wrong for Congressman Nolan to ask that this study be stopped, that mineral leases be forced and that companies be allowed to develop sulfide ore mines in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. So we urge him to change his position and support the study,” she said.

Ely resident Steve Saari, who described himself as a grandson of a Finnish miner from the area, spoke in favor of mining in the Ely area. “We have had exploratory drilling here for copper-nickel for at least 50 years,” Saari said. “There hasn’t been any environmental damage done. There are a lot of folks who want to stop it before there is even a plan.”

He described his 1979 graduating class of 147 seniors from Ely High School, one year after the passage of the Wilderness Act, which has dwindled to 37 graduates. “The reason is because of a lot of these land grabs from the federal government and restrictions on who can do what, where and when. Resorts have closed. Logging is cut off. Now mining is cut off in the Boundary Waters. They are drilling for precious metals. Their plan isn’t to mine sulfide.”

He talked about the need for precious metals in today’s technologically advanced world. He described the cool clear water of Miner’s Lake (formed when an iron ore mine was abandoned). “I snorkel in it. I fish rainbow trout in it,” he said. “Does that rock have sulfide? Yes.”

“I personally feel that we can have mining and clean water. We can have both,” Saari said.

Ely business owner Steve Piragis asked Rep. Nolan to reverse his decision and to support the process in place. “It is a legal process and what should be done,” he said. “The Boundary Waters is no less important than the Grand Canyon, the Tetons or any other great wilderness around this country. I’m not speaking against mining in any way. I think mining is absolutely important for the world. I’m speaking against sulfide ore mining on the edge of this wilderness. I speak for clean water. Some have this idea that we can have both. I don’t agree with that.”

A few comments were also made on protecting Planned Parenthood and voting rights, as well as protecting Social Security.

“I think he is a good Democrat,” said Carol Orban of Rep. Nolan.