Minnesota mining took a new step on Tuesday, July 14.
For the first time, an underground mine reached the public comment phase of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources environmental review process. It is also the first primarily nickel mine to reach this stage.
The Tamarack Nickel-Copper-Cobalt Project would be located about 1.5 miles north of Tamarack and 10 miles east of McGregor.
Talon Metals is the company behind the Tamarack mine. It also operates Eagle Mine in Michigan, the only primarily nickel mine currently operating in the U.S.
State Sen. Robert Farnsworth, R-Hibbing, and other Iron Range officials recently visited the Michigan mine. Farnsworth represents northern Aitkin County, and said he’s excited the project is moving forward.
“It has potential to not only create jobs for the southern part of my district, but it has potential to create tax, you know, a tax base, which will alleviate some of the property tax issues that we would have in Aitkin County,” Farnsworth said.
But not everyone is enthusiastic about the project.
Water contamination from a copper-nickel mine is a major concern of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, as well as various environmental organizations. The Mille Lacs reservation is less than two miles from the proposed mine site.
When copper and nickel ore connect with air and water, it can create acid drainage. This drainage can cause sulfate and heavy metals to find its way into nearby waterways.
In response to the Tamarack mine, the Mille Lacs band started the initiative Water Over Nickel.
Kelly Applegate, the band's commissioner of natural resources, said in his 2026 State of the Band report that the public comment period is when everyone needs to speak up.
“This type of mining operation is a threat not just to the Mille Lacs Band, but to everyone, as we all need clean, safe water to live,” Applegate said.
The Water Over Nickel website states, “Mining activity so close to tribal lands and cultural sites threaten treaty-protected resources, traditional harvesting practices, and the ability of future generations to fully practice their culture.”
Farnsworth said mining has provided a good living for a lot of Minnesotans.
“We’ve been mining in Minnesota, you know, for 140 years. And we have the cleanest water in the state. I mean, really if you look at pretty much the rest of the state, from, I don’t know, maybe Moose Lake south, we have cleaner water than everyone.”
Exploratory drilling began in the area more than two decades ago. Talon submitted its initial plan for the project in 2023. The plan is for active mining at Tamarack to last around seven to 10 years.
All the operations will occur in one building the size of a large store. The opening of the mine would be inside the building. This allows the ore to stay indoors before it is moved to rail cars. It would then be transported to North Dakota and Michigan for processing.
Tailings, which are the rock, water and chemical waste left over after extracting the valuable minerals and metals, will not be generated or stored in Minnesota.
Talon has said all water coming into contact with reactive materials would be captured and routed to a water treatment plant before leaving the site.
The comment period opened July 14 and will close Sept. 14. It is a part of the DNR’s creation of an environmental impact statement — or an EIS. Before Talon can apply for the permits required for the project, a detailed EIS must be completed and approved by the state.
Melissa Kuskie, the DNR’s Ecological and Water Resources Division director, said in an informational session that the DNR analysis will be rigorous, neutral and science based.
"The DNR has put together a team of subject matter experts to fully evaluate the project and its alternatives and identify mitigation for the significant environmental impacts that could occur," Kuskie said.
After the comment period ends in September, the DNR will prepare an EIS draft. The draft will go through another public review phase before the final EIS is prepared. The DNR will then make an adequacy decision on the EIS, which is currently estimated for March 2029.
Comments can be submitted online through the DNR’s online commenting website. The agency is also hosting two public meetings.
The first is Wednesday, Aug. 5, at McGregor High School, and the other is Aug. 12 at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Both go from 5-9 p.m.
