Жители Брейнерда призывают пересмотреть планы по открытию никелевой шахты в районе Тамарака

I attended an information meeting Aug. 17 in Brainerd by the Tamarack Water Alliance. Talon Metals/Rio Tinto plans to remove more than 8.2 million tons of material as part of a proposed high sulfide underground mine in Tamarack (Aitkin County). This is a recreational area with wild rice lakes nearby. They urged locals to research the project. The DNR comment period is until Sept. 14. www.dnr.state.mn.us/input/environmentalreview/tamarack-nickel-project.html . ADVERTISEMENT While not on the radar like Poly Met and Twin Metals near the Boundary Waters this project deserves scrutiny. While mining would create new jobs and boost the economy in the small town of 62, there would be a housing shortage, strained infrastructure and environmental degradation. High paying jobs listed were geologists and engineers, along with general labor like drillers and helpers. Compare this to the Bakken oil fracking in North Dakota boom in 2006 that peaked in 2012. Construction will cut through aquifers and pump up to 2.3 million gallons of water per day to keep the mine from flooding. Talon has not been clear about the toxic dust that will be generated from the mining operations that will impact rivers, forests, wetlands and be impossible to clean up. The St Louis River watershed is less than 10 miles from the mine. Currently Talon is drilling stopes with no plans to fill them. Copper recycling and reclaiming is an option we need to focus on. 80% of the copper mined is still in circulation. Copper never degrades. It takes 85% less energy to recycle than to mine new copper. Fresh air to breathe, mercury free fish to eat, wild rice to harvest and protection of the water rich recreation economy. These are things to consider before committing to local mining. Marcia Ferris Brainerd ADVERTISEMENT Want to submit a letter to the editor? Read our guidelines .