Mining & Environmental News

Talking with IRRRB Commissioner Ida Rukavina

Duluth, Minn -- It's been just a month and a half since Ida Rukavina was appointed commissioner of the IRRRB. For most of that time, she has been in St. Paul talking with legislators…

PolyMet Mine In Minnesota Becomes NewRange Copper Nickel

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - PolyMet Mining and Teck Resources finalized a joint venture Wednesday to complete the copper-nickel mine that PolyMet has been developing in northeastern Minnesota, and the partnership hopes to eventually build a separate mine next door in an…

Minnesota Moves Toward 100% Carbon-Free Electricity By 2040

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota utilities would be obligated to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040 to step up the fight against climate change under a bill speeding through the Legislature. The bill was slated for a final vote on the Senate…

Minnesota Boundary Waters: US Moves To Protect Area From Planned Mine

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Biden administration moved Thursday to protect northeastern Minnesota’s pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from future mining, dealing a potentially fatal blow to a copper-nickel project. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed an order closing over 350 square…

Walz Extends Unemployment Pay For Northeast Minnesota Miners

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz signed his second bill of the young 2023 legislative session Wednesday, extending unemployment benefits for six months for more than 400 laid-off workers at Northshore Mining. Northshore Mining shut down May 1,…

Annual Survey of Wolves and Moose on Isle Royale Underway

ISLE ROYALE, Mich. -- The annual wolf and moose survey is underway on Isle Royale. Last Friday, researchers based out of Michigan Tech arrived on Isle Royale to begin their annual survey to count the wolf and moose populations. Starting…

Christmas Tree Treecycling

DULUTH, Minn. -- Some of us hang on to our real Christmas Tree until it becomes a fire hazard, but some of us can't wait to get that tree out the door. If your tree…