VIRGINIA -- Matt Tyler of Finland is worried about the ongoing sale of mineral leases in northeastern Minnesota. On Friday, Tyler traveled to Virginia to voice his concerns about preserving his community's integrity -- with or without more mining.
"Sometimes, the way [mining industry] people talk, it's, 'What would this place be without mining?'" Tyler said. He said he feels differently, noting that some longtime businesses in Finland are also worried about potential mining activities in the future.
More than 200 people attended a public meeting hosted by the Lake Superior Binational Forum at the Mesabi Range Community and Technical College. It was the final of three such meetings held in recent years.
The turnout of people from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan illustrated that "this mining issue is of great interest in all these states," said Lissa Radke, United States coordinator of the Lake Superior Binational Forum. The forum of 12 Canadian and 12 American stakeholders, representing a broad range of interests, came together in 1991 to craft policy that creates a clean, safe environment in conjunction with economic activity in the watershed.
The forum featured presentations by geologists, environmental engineers, economists and from industries and environmental agencies. The purpose is to fully educate, not advocate, Radke said.
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"We don't expect everyone to agree with everything they hear," Radke said. Indeed, during past forums Radke said she has seen "a great polarity" in people's views. The forum's challenge now is to draw conclusions from those polar opinions and write a series of policy recommendations to the governments in the Lake Superior watershed.
"It's a tricky balancing act," Radke said. Two trends she has noticed include people's concerns about mining's potential to impact human health, and, though people are excited about a potential expansion in mining jobs, they want to know what kind of jobs expanded mining would bring.
After a solid afternoon of presentations, forum participants in the standing-room-only college auditorium finally got to share their opinions and ask questions of the panel.
Marcie Moe of Tower wanted to know where any wetlands damaged or destroyed during operation of the proposed Polymet Mine near Hoyt Lakes would be replaced.
Bill Waters of Marquette, Mich., who was attending his second Binational Forum, wanted to know if we as a society have learned any lessons from bad past mining practices, such as the previous improper disposal of taconite tailings into Lake Superior near Silver Bay.
And Julia Lucas of Side Lake grew emotional as she talked about this country's need -- as huge consumers of metals and minerals -- to mine them responsibly, close to home.
"Do we feel comfortable as a society pushing against mining, when we are the biggest consumers of minerals and metals?" Lucas said.
John Engesser, assistant director of the division of lands and minerals for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said U.S. companies typically extract materials using much less energy and producing fewer emissions than other countries. By importing materials such as steel and precious metals that could be mined domestically, "we are allowing our pollution to be exported," Engesser said.
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Lucinda Johnson is a member of the Binational Forum. She felt that Friday's gathering was productive.
"I was pleased we got negative comments and compliments on both sides," Johnson said. "We hit the right tone."
But all is not finished. Johnson said one thing she has learned from working with the forum is the need for a comprehensive, updated study that addresses the full costs and benefits of regional mining; a study that includes not only the economic benefits but the costs of potentially losing "externalities" such as clean air and clean water.
"What is the [economic] value of a wetland?" Johnson asked, rhetorically. Some of the data for such a study exists, she said, but pulling it together would be a long, expensive process.
Vern Simula from Virginia asked panelists how mining communities could be assured that mining companies continued to pay cleanup costs even if the company went bankrupt.
Simula didn't get a fully satisfactory response -- he was told that mining companies are required to set aside bonds in case of such a situation -- but he said attending the forum was worthwhile.
"This is how policy is shaped," Simula said.
