Corps of Engineers to host public hearing and meetings on PolyMet Mining environmental documents

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, assisted by the U.S. Forest Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, is hosting a public hearing for the proposed PolyMet Mining project Clean Water Act permit application in Duluth, Minn., Jan. 16, 2014.

The Clean Water Act Section 404 hearing will be held at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center in Duluth. An open house will begin at 5 p.m., followed by the formal hearing at 6:45 p.m. The Corps, in collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, published a notice of availability in the Federal Register Dec. 13. The document is available on the Minnesota DNR’s website at: http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/input/environmentalreview/polymet/index.html

The primary purpose of the hearing is to gather information from the public or interested federal and state agencies regarding the proposed Polymet Mining project and impacts to waters of the United States associated with the proposal. There will be a formal presentation at the beginning of the hearing, and an opportunity for the public to make comments. Responses to comments will not be provided during the hearing; however, staff from the federal and state agencies will be available to answer questions during the open house.

In addition to the public hearing, the regulatory agencies are hosting public meetings at Mesabi East High School in Aurora, Minn., Jan. 22, 2014, and the Saint Paul River Centre, in St. Paul, Minn., Jan. 28, 2014. These meetings also begin with an open house at 5 p.m., and the meeting starting at 6:45 p.m. 

The public review and comment period is scheduled to end March 13, 2014.

The DNR is accepting written comments on the supplemental draft EIS on behalf of the three regulatory agencies at NorthMetSDEIS.dnr@state.mn.us. Questions regarding Corps processes should be directed to Doug Bruner, Corps project manager, at (800) 290-5847 or mvp-reg-inquiry@usace.army.mil.

The nearly 700 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, employees working at more than 40 sites in five upper-Midwest states serve the American public in the areas of environmental enhancement, navigation, flood damage reduction, water and wetlands regulation, recreation sites and disaster response. Through the Corps’ Fiscal Year 2011 $175 million budget, nearly 2,800 non-Corps jobs were added to the regional economy as well as $271 million to the national economy. For more information, see www.mvp.usace.army.mil.

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