Dear friend,

You can make a difference this week about the future of sulfide mining in Minnesota and our state’s clean water for generations to come. How? There are a few easy ways, keep reading for details.

When you are taking action, consider the following alarming predictions about water pollution from the PolyMet mine:

• Water from waste rock piles will be polluted for up to 2,000 years.
• About 40 years after mine closure, the West Pit will overflow and begin discharging polluted water into the adjacent Partridge River.
• Groundwater at the mine site will be contaminated with heavy metals.

Those predictions are right from the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). And time and time again, sulfide mining companies have caused water pollution problems much worse than predicted.

1.) Attend a PolyMet public meeting

This week, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is hosting two public meetings about the PolyMet sulfide mining project in northeastern Minnesota. One meeting will be held in Aurora and one in Blaine.

The Department of Natural Resources must address the inadequacies in the proposal. And the agency must hear from all of us that we care about clean water and that such impacts are unacceptable. Attend a meeting this week and stand up for the future of Minnesota’s precious waters.

2.) Call Senator Al Franken

Senator Franken has stated that he is waiting to further analyze the PolyMet DEIS before coming out in favor of or in opposition to the mine project. Please call him this week and thank him for such a thoughtful approach.

Call Sen. Franken’s office at (202) 224-5641. It is quick and easy. You can also send him an email, but a phone call will be more effective. No matter what, it is important to make yourself heard.

3.) Spread the word

Have you sent “Precious Waters” to your friends and family yet? If not, please do. We have a real chance to spark a broad public discussion about this issue of such great importance to the future of our clean water. Just send them the link to www.preciouswaters.org to watch the film and learn about the issue.

Thanks for caring about Minnesota’s clean water and for everything you do today to ensure we are good stewards of it for the benefit of future generations.

Sincerely,

Greg Seitz
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness