HOYT LAKES — The Department of Natural Resources will prepare an additional environmental review of NewRange Copper Nickel's mine and processing plant in response to the company's proposed changes, the agency announced Thursday, Oct. 8.
The NorthMet project, formerly known as PolyMet, has been tied up in litigation since 2018. NewRange notified the DNR of a reworked project plan in July that included changes to water management, waste storage and transportation. The changes would also mean an increase in ore production and a decrease in the mine's lifespan.
The DNR is requiring a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, or SEIS. In a news release, the agency stated an SEIS is required when proposed changes are "substantial and affect the potential for significant environmental impacts ... or if there is new information that could significantly affect those potential impacts."
"Completing an SEIS is not a project approval or denial, and the environmental review process remains separate from permitting decisions," the release stated.
NorthMet would extract copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals at an open-pit mine 6 miles south of Babbitt and then process them at the former LTV plant 6 miles north of Hoyt Lakes. Under the new plan, the material would travel the 8 miles between the sites on a covered conveyor belt.
NorthMet is located in the St. Louis River watershed, with water flowing east to Lake Superior and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three copper-nickel projects proposed in Minnesota. The others are Twin Metals, which is proposed in the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and Tamarack, located in east-central Aitkin County.
Environmental groups were calling on the DNR to start NorthMet's environmental review over from square one. Advocates framed the changes as a repackaged, second run at getting the controversial project off the ground.
"PolyMet/NewRange is not making these changes out of the goodness of their heart, right?" said Joy Anderson, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy legal director, in an interview in July. "They are making these because their previous plans were determined by Minnesota courts to be illegal."
The DNR said it considered input from some environmental organizations, as well as the Grand Portage and Fond du Lac bands of Lake Superior Chippewa.
The SEIS does not replace the original environmental review that took place from 2004 to 2016, which examined a wide variety of impacts, including to wildlife, water, cultural resources and socioeconomics. DNR Assistant Commissioner Jess Richards noted in July the review was never challenged and provides a "good baseline of science and analysis."
The DNR's SEIS will be independent of any federal review. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates wetlands under the Clean Water Act, is working on a federal SEIS.
The DNR, Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service co-led the original environmental review.
Next steps
The DNR will first develop a Preparation Notice, which it said will outline the scope of the SEIS. The notice will summarize the proposed project changes, present relevant new information and offer an expected timeline for SEIS completion.
The Preparation Notice will be open to public comment before the scope of the SEIS is decided.
The DNR notes that the proposed changes may mean NorthMet needs new or amended state, federal or local permits. But no permit decisions can be made until the SEIS is completed and "deemed adequate."
"The DNR is committed to a transparent, rigorous, neutral and science-based review process and will keep Minnesotans informed as its evaluation moves forward," Thursday's release stated.
More information on the project and future updates can be found on the DNR's NorthMet website.
