Action Alert: POLYMET COUNTDOWN

Dear friend,

There are now just seven days left in the public comment period for the PolyMet mine project in northeastern Minnesota. The DNR has denied all requests for an extension of the comment period (four years in the making and we get 90 days to read all 1,800 pages and attempt to comment on it?) but it is not difficult to identify the project’s serious flaws. The comment deadline is Feb. 3 and now is the time to take action!

I am writing to you with a few requests and I hope you will consider these simple steps to make your voice heard on this issue of such great importance to the region.

1.) Get informed, get involved
If you are not already informed on the issue, if you want to know more, or you want to take action, visit the Precious Waters website to watch our short film and take advantage of the facts sheets, news items and other resources. Visit www.preciouswaters.org »

2.) Submit your comments on PolyMet
The DNR is under enormous political pressure to advance the PolyMet mine. The Chamber of Commerce and politicians are using the long Environmental Impact Statement development time as proof that the system is broken, not that it’s working. And yet, even with the extraordinary investment of time and resources, the document is full of holes. It poses serious threats to clean water, public health, fish and wildlife habitat, and other precious natural resources. Speak up now using our talking points and template comment »

Click to download this image and set it as your Facebook profile picture!

3.) “Attend” Sulfide Mining Awareness Day
Tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 27, spread the word about this issue via your computer. Forward this e-mail to your friends, family, colleagues, neighbors or others in your community. Submit your comments. And R.S.V.P. to our Facebook event and copy-and-paste this into your status message or just click here:

I choose clean water! Dangerous new mines threaten the lakes and rivers of northern Minnesota. If you also choose clean water over toxic mining pollution, set this as your status today and visit www.preciouswaters.org to speak up about the PolyMet mine.

Here’s a shorter version for Twitter (click here to Tweet this):

Dangerous mines threaten MN lakes and rivers. Please RT today if you choose clean water over toxic mining pollution. http://bit.ly/8rSBBk

4.) “When the people lead, the leaders will follow”
Contact your legislators and ask them to support H.F.2560, a bill to strengthen Minnesota’s mining “damage deposit” regulations. (A Senate version will be introduced on Feb. 4.) This bill would increase government transparency, ensure financial assurances are received and held in a form safe from mining company bankruptcy, and require long-term water treatment to be included in financial assurance calculations. Find your elected officials’ contact information and speak up today »

5.) Caucus for clean water
At next Tuesday’s political caucuses, please consider introducing a resolution about mining. It is a great way to broach the subject with  your neighbors, and to raise awareness of the issue. We have even put together a sample resolution on each party’s form, and provided a “caucus 101″ help sheet, a short speech you can give to introduce the subject, and a brief fact sheet about the issue. You can download the materials in PDF form here: DFL • Republican.

6.) “The wealth isn’t underground. It’s all around us!”
Read Betsy Daub’s recent column in the Minneapolis Star Tribune about sulfide mining, “Avatar,” and the question of how Minnesota is going to decide what we value most. I know we just asked for letters to the editor a week ago, but we are finally getting some of the press this issue deserves and the papers need to hear from their readers! Already, Rep. Tom Rukavina, gubernatorial hopeful, has written a letter criticizing Nick Coleman’s column and just today the paper published a commentary from another individual. Both are full of misleading statements and outright falsehoods and we need to set the record straight. Submit a letter using the Star Tribune‘s online form »

That’s a lot of things you can do. Each one is a critical opportunity to make a difference.

The Friends is currently finishing our own analysis of PolyMet’s Draft EIS and finalizing our comments. We have retained the work of several experienced technical experts and will provide updated information about the findings late this week or early next week to help you formulate further comments before the deadline arrives.

Visit www.preciouswaters.org now to learn more and take action!

All the best,

Greg Seitz
Communications Director
Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

ps – When submitting your comments, remember that the PolyMet mine is not in the Boundary Waters watershed. Water from the mine (and pollution) would flow through the Embarrass and Partridge Rivers into the St. Louis River, and ultimately Lake Superior. Of course, pollution in those waters is unacceptable; the mine would also set serious precedents for future mining proposals which are focused squarely in the BWCAW watershed.