Interesting arguments on both sides. Truth is that the Duluth Complex,(there are plenty of scientific articles about the Duluth Complex, google it) a unique geographical area in Minnesota, is one of the few areas on dry earth where iron, copper, cobalt, palladium, platinum, gold, and other precious and critical rare earth minerals are relatively easy to extract. This complex is the result of massive magma deposits billions of years ago that actually stretch from the Brainerd area, through the “iron range”, under Lake Superior, and continuing NE where Baffin Island is all iron, but difficult to access. The Minnesota Iron Range basically built this country, provided essential materials for the defeating the Axis in WW2. Today this area contains the 2nd largest known reserves of copper in the world, has significant deposits of cobalt, palladium, essential minerals that provide a strategic advantage to the US in being able to advance technology. You can bet that all of these anti mining discussions will be mute if the United States is cut off from any of these strategic metals, so far we have been lucky to get copper from Chile, cobalt from the Congo. Most people don’t realize that China controls all the rare earth magnet technology…if you need a rare earth magnet you are reliant upon China. Cut off this supply and most people don’t even have a clue what it’s effect would be. I would guarantee that the area in discussion is on the list of critical and strategic metals reserves and when the US government decides it needs them, it will get them. I am not opposed to environmental arguments but face the facts, just like fracking has made the US independent of foreign oil, the Duluth Complex has the ability to do the same thing in sensitive critical metals needs. As Biggill states: “As an opponent of the TM mine, it’s not my responsibility to identify how or where you should get it from. This is an asinine argument that has nothing to do with why it shouldn’t be built here.” He is correct but at some point he will have to make a decision as there may be a time and it could be soon where we might not be able to “get it from” so now what… without these strategic metals, give up your cell phones, electric cars, computers, and all the technology we enjoy. No easy answers however one thing we do know, we have relatively easy access to these minerals.
