The long history of pollution from copper-sulfide mining shows that it presents substantial risks to Minnesota’s environment and clean water. The proposed “Prove-It-First” Legislation would require an applicant seeking to permit a copper-sulfide mine in Minnesota to submit documentation that a copper-sulfide mine operated elsewhere in the United States for at least ten years without polluting groundwater or surface water and that the mine has been closed for at least ten years without polluting groundwater or surface water.
The logic is clear: Before a company can move forward with its plans to open a sulfide mine in Minnesota, it must show at least one example of where it has been done safely.
This proposed Prove-It-First Legislation for Minnesota is straightforward and has common-sense appeal. We know the record of copper-sulfide mining. We have heard the industry’s empty promises. Minnesota is a not a test case or a guinea pig. Before a shovel touches the ground, we need proof that it will not pollute.
I support enacting Prove-It-First Legislation in Minnesota.