Harbor City students seek transparency from sulfide-ore mining company
Tamarack, Minnesota is the site of a proposed underground nickel mine. This footage depicts two trips a little more than a year apart to the core shed of Talon Metals in Tamarack. WaterLegacy had a collaboration going with Harbor City International School students to study the reasoning behind opposition to sulfide ore mining in Minnesota.
In the first clip, Talon’s chief exploration officer is asked when the feasibility study will be done, to which he replies that he doesn’t know. His colleague then agrees with the students that “sooner would be better than later.”
In the second clip — a year later at the onset of the first round of public comment in the environmental review process — a WaterLegacy staffer reads an official statement from the company stating that its conceptual surface layout “is not supported by a prefeasibility study, a feasibility study or any other form of engineering study or report.”
The first of two public meetings about the scoping documents for a state Environmental Impact Statement for the Tamarack Mining Project will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5, at McGregor High School, 148 S. Second St. in McGregor.
The public meeting will have an open house beginning at 5 p.m. where attendees can learn more about the project, ask questions, sign up for an opportunity to speak and submit written comments. At 6 p.m., attendees are invited to view an informational presentation. At 6:30 p.m., the public commenting session begins, and individuals who signed up for an opportunity to speak will be randomly selected. To accommodate as many commenters as possible, commenters will be limited to 3 minutes and may only speak once per meeting.
The Environmental Impact Statement will describe project details, identify environmental impacts and consider mitigation and alternatives that might lessen the environmental impacts of a proposed underground mine near Tamarack, Minnesota.
Talon Nickel USA LLC is proposing to construct and operate an underground mine near Tamarack to extract ore containing nickel, copper and other metals that would be shipped by rail to processing facilities located in Mercer County, North Dakota, and Marquette County, Michigan.
More information is available on the project webpage of the DNR website.