MPCA – PolyMet draft permits available for comment
The Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency (MPCA) invites the public to make comments on the Agency’s draft
air quality permit, draft water quality permit, and draft 401 certification for
the Poly Met Mining, Inc., (PolyMet) NorthMet mining project. PolyMet is proposing to develop a mine and processing plant to extract
copper, nickel, and precious metals from the NorthMet Deposit in northeastern
Minnesota.
The
formal public notices for each are available on the MPCA public notice page at https://www.pca.state.mn.us/public-notices. The draft permits and
support documents are on the MPCA’s NorthMet project pages at www.pca.state.mn.us/northmet.
Draft air permit
An
air permit is a regulatory document that contains legally
enforceable requirements. A permit identifies the units at each facility that
generate air pollutants, details the conditions under which the facility must
operate to comply with rules and regulations and, where applicable, sets limits
on those emissions.
Draft water quality permit
A
water quality permit (or more formally, a National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System/State Disposal System or NPDES/SDS permit) establishes specific limits and requirements to protect Minnesota's surface
and groundwater quality for a variety of uses, including drinking water,
aquatic life and recreation.
Draft 401 certification
The draft 401
certification is a water quality certification from the
state that would become a part of the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Section 404
permit. In the 401 certification the state reviews the proposed activity in
order to determine if it will comply with applicable water quality standards,
and identifies any conditions needed to ensure compliance. If the review
finds that water quality will be protected, the 401 certification is issued and
the certification and conditions become part of the 404 permit.
How to comment
The MPCA will accept comments through Friday,
March 16, 2018. Submit comments via the state’s PolyMet portal polymet.mn.gov, by attending a
public meeting, or by mail to:
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
PolyMet Draft Air Permit/Water Permit/401 Certification Comment – 4th Floor
520 Lafayette Road N St. Paul, MN 55155-4045
If you send a comment by
mail, please specify the permit you are commenting on in the address.
All written comments
received during the comment period are considered when the MPCA decides whether
to issue a permit or certification. Comments can and often do result in changes
to the final permit.
Public meetings
The
MPCA will hold two public meetings on the draft permits jointly with the
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
- Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2018
Mesabi East High School
601 N 1st St W, Aurora, MN 55705
4:00-9:00 p.m. Open house
6:00-9:00 p.m. Public comment forum
- Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018
DECC – Duluth Entertainment Convention Center
350 Harbor Drive, Duluth, MN 55802
1:00-9:00 p.m. Open house
6:00-9:00 p.m. Public comment forum
Comments
on the MPCA’s draft permits and certification, as well as the DNR’s draft
permit to mine, will be accepted at these meetings. Stenographers will be
available to record oral comments offered individually and during the public
comment forum. In addition, comment boxes will be available for submitting
written comments and objections at the meetings and staff from both the DNR and
MPCA will be available to answer questions during each open house.
Additional Information
For
the most up to date information, check the state’s PolyMet web portal and
MPCA’s project website. The web portal provides
basic permitting information and directs users to agency websites with more
detail. On the portal you can sign up for the state’s PolyMet
email distribution list to receive project-related updates.
You are receiving this message as a subscriber to the PolyMet email
notification list. This list is hosted by the Department of Natural
Resources (DNR). It is used jointly by MPCA and DNR to provide regular
updates and share information about key steps in the
permitting/certification processes, including opportunities for public
comment.
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