Permit to Mine
PolyMet's NorthMet Mining Project

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On November 1, 2018, the DNR issued the permit to mine for the Poly Met Mining, Inc. (PolyMet) NorthMet mining project (see below for permit documents). The purpose of a permit to mine is to control the possible adverse environmental effects of mining by ensuring orderly construction and development of a mine, sound operational practices, and progressive reclamation of mined areas. This permit ensures that a mine is developed in a manner that facilitates future land uses. A permit to mine also includes provisions that govern wetland impacts and mitigation, and it is the key permit for setting financial assurance requirements for a mine.

The NorthMet permit to mine permit includes a comprehensive, PolyMet-funded financial assurance package designed to provide sufficient funds for the DNR to reclaim and close the mine and plant site in the event that PolyMet should fail to do so. The financial assurance package has been thoroughly vetted by independent financial experts and provides comprehensive protections for Minnesota.

Annual Report
April 1, 2019

Minnesota’s nonferrous mining rules call for the holder of a permit to mine to submit a report at the end of March each year. The annual report describes the mining and reclamation activities completed during the year prior to the report submittal, as well as activities planned for the upcoming year. In addition, the report includes a contingency reclamation plan and updated financial assurance estimates. DNR technical staff along with its consultants will review the annual report to ensure that the updated financial assurance and plans are in compliance with the conditions of the permit to mine and applicable state laws.

Permit to Mine and Wetland Replacement Plan Decisions
(PolyMet's Application and DNR's Special Conditions together are considered the Permit to Mine)
November 1, 2018

PolyMet Ferrous Closure Permit Assignment

Historic Permitting Information
DNR technical staff along with its consultants reviewed the application details to determine whether the project as proposed is designed to meet state standards, provides appropriate financial assurance, and incorporates the environmental protections outlined in the Environmental Impact Statement. Following review of PolyMet's permit to mine application, DNR prepared draft special conditions for the application. Following review of comments received during the public comment and objection period, the DNR developed final special conditions for the application. Together, the application and the special conditions are considered the permit to mine for the NorthMet project.

Contested Case Hearing Petitions March 7, 2018

The DNR received two petitions under Minnesota Statutes 93.483 requesting that the Commissioner hold a contested case hearing on the draft permit to mine for the proposed NorthMet mining project. One petition was received from WaterLegacy, and a joint petition was received from the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), and the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness (FBWW). Complete copies of the petitions and their attachments are posted below.

Prior to making permit decisions, the DNR concluded it would not order a pre-decisional contested case hearing(s) regarding the permits. Detailed explanation of the agency’s decision to deny the contested case requests is included in the DNR’s findings for its permit to mine decision.

The DNR fact sheet Formal Objections and Petitions for Contested Case Hearing describes the contested case petition process under Minnesota Statutes 93.483 subd.1-2.

WaterLegacy Petition (February 27, 2018)

Joint MCEA-CBD-FBWW Petition (February 28, 2018)

After careful consideration of the petitions, the DNR concluded it would not order a pre-decisional contested case hearing(s) regarding the permits. This decision was made prior to the decision on the permit to mine.

Draft Permit to Mine
(PolyMet's Application and DNR's Draft Special Conditions together are considered the Draft Permit to Mine)
January 5, 2018

To view PolyMet's Permit to Mine application, DNR's Draft Special Conditions, and Project Factsheets in PDF format please use the links below:

To view the references for Appendix 18.1, Wetland Replacement Plan, use the link below:
Wetland Replacement Plan References » (1/9/2018)

To view PolyMet's Permit to Mine application and appendices separately use the link below:
View or download files separately » (12/13/2017)

Project Fact Sheets

Reference Documents for Permit to Mine Application
December 13, 2017

Reference Documents for Wetland Replacement Plan
January 5, 2018

  1. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Forest Service. NorthMet Mining Project and Land Exchange Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement. November 2013.
  2. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest Service. Final Environmental Impact Statement: NorthMet Mining Project and Land Exchange. November 2015.
  3. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Laboratory. Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual. Technical Report Y-87-1. U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station, Vicksburg, MS. 1987. (2 MB)
  4. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Interim Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual. ERDC/EL TR-09-19. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Engineer Research and Development Center, Wetlands Regulatory Assistance Program. 2009.Interim Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetlands Delineation Manual. ERDC/EL TR-09-19. Vicksburg, MS: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers: Engineer Research and Development Center, Wetlands Regulatory Assistance Program. 2009. (8 MB)
  5. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Regional Supplement to the Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual: Northcentral and Northeast Region (Version 2.0). [ed.] R.W. Lichvar, C.B. Noble, and J.F. Berkowitz Ed. J.S. Wakeley. Vicksburg, MS : U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, 2011. ERDC/EL TR-12-1. (8 MB)
  6. Eggers, S.D. and D.M. Reed. Wetland Plants and Plant Communities of Minnesota and Wisconsin: Second Edition. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District. 1997. (4 MB)
  7. Shaw, S.P. and C.G. Fredine. Wetlands of the United States - Their Extent and their Value to Waterfowl and Other Wildlife. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Department of the Interior, 1956. p. 67. Circular 39. (38 MB)
  8.  Cowardin, L.M., V. Carter, F.C. Golet, R.T. LaRoe. Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States. s.l. : U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1979. p. 103. FWS/OBS079/31. (1 MB)
  9. Barr Engineering Co. RS14 - Wetland Delineation and Wetland Functional Assessment Report (Draft-02). [RS14 - Draft-02]. November 2006. (32 MB)
  10. Barr Engineering Co. Supplemental Information to the Wetland Delineation Report EIS Report/Study RS-14. Addendum 01. September 2007. (9 MB)
  11. Barr Engineering Co. Wetland Impacts, Tailings Basin Mitigation Alternative Memorandum. Submitted to USACE and MnDNR. [Memorandum to PolyMet]. Revised June 2, 2008. (4 MB)
  12. Barr Engineering Co. TB-12 Pipeline Route Habitat/Wetland Analysis for Tailings Basin Alternative. [Memorandum to PolyMet]. July 8, 2009. (1 MB)
  13. Barr Engineering Co. Helicopter Aerial Review of Mine Site Area and Tailings Basin Area. 2010. (3 MB)
  14. Barr Engineering Co. NorthMet Project Baseline Wetland Type Evaluation. April 2011. (17 MB)
  15. Barr Engineering Co. Lined Tailings Basin Alternative, EIS Data Request. Technical Memorandum from Gregg Williams at Barr Engineering Company PolyMet Project File, Project No.23/69-862-006-001. April 8, 2008. (18 MB)
  16. Incorrect citation. No reference should be cited here.
  17. Barr Engineering Co. Takings Permit Application - NorthMet Project. October 2017. (2 MB)
  18. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District. St. Paul District Policy for Wetland Compensatory Mitigation in Minnesota. January 2009. (5 MB)
  19. Barr Engineering Co. Permit to Mine Application. Prepared for Poly Met Mining, Inc. NorthMet Project. December 2017.
  20. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. NorthMet Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement. 2009.
  21. Poly Met Mining Inc. Revised Wetland Permit Application (v2). August 19, 2013. (189 MB)
  22. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Record of Decision (ROD) In the Matter of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the PolyMet Mining, Inc., NorthMet Mining Project and Land Exchange, St. Louis County, Minnesota, Pursuant to Minnesota Rules, Parts 4410.0200 to 4410.6500. March 3, 2016. (1 MB)
  23. Labovitz School of Business and Economics. Employment, Economic and Social Impacts of PolyMet's NorthMet Project and other Industrial Projects of Minnesota's East Range Communities. 2006. (2 MB)
  24. Bateman Engineering Pty Ltd. PolyMet Mining Corporation NorthMet Project Definitive Feasibility Study. September 2006. (1 MB)
  25. Saran, Jennifer (PolyMet Mining). Email to Lisa Fay, Bill Johnson, and Irina Comardicea (DNR) re: project description items. October 20, 2014. (.zip, 2 MB)
  26. Barr Engineering Co. NPDES/SDS Permit Application Volume V. Tailings Basin and Beneficiation Plant for Poly Met Mining, Inc. October 2017. (59 MB)
  27. Poly Met Mining, Inc. NorthMet Project Geotechnical Data Package Vol 2 - Hydrometallurgical Residue Facility (v6). July 2016. (41 MB)
  28. Poly Met Mining Inc. NorthMet Project Project Description (v9). March 2015. (22 MB)
  29. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; U.S. Forest Service. NorthMet Project underground mining alternative assessment for the NorthMet Mining Project and land exchange Environmental Impact Statement. February 5, 2013. (3 MB)
  30. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. NorthMet Mine and Ore Processing Facilities Project Final Scoping Decision Document (SDD). October 25, 2005. (1 MB)
  31. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Ecological Classification System. [Online] 2010. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecs/index.html. (1 MB)
  32. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service. Unofficial conversion for USFS Landtype Phases to NRCS Series or Concepts. Duluth, Minnesota : s.n., Unpublished Report 2005. (1 MB)
  33. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. PolyMet NorthMet EIS, Wetland Resources IAP Final Summary Memo. July 2011. (1 MB)
  34. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Biological Assessment for the Proposed NorthMet Project and Land Exchange. April 2015. (41 MB)
  35. ENSR, International. Winter 2000 Wildlife Survey for the Proposed NorthMet Mine Site, St. Louis County, MN. 2004. (1 MB)
  36. ENSR. NorthMet Mine Summer 2004 Wildlife Study. (27 MB)
  37. Foth and Van Dyke. Supplemental Site Specific Resource Information. PolyMet Mining Corporation NorthMet 1999 Exploration Project. Report Prepared for PolyMet Mining. 1999. (1 MB)
  38. Groh-Johnson, Cindy. Botrychium (Moonwort) Rare Plant Surveys for Polymet Project July 2004. 2004. (12 MB)
  39. Pomroy, Deborah and Raymond Barnes. 2004 Rare Plant Survey at the PolyMet Mine Site Located in T59N R13W. 2004. (7 MB)
  40. Walton, Gary. Data Summary: Rare Plant Survey. 2004. (3 MB)
  41. Barr Engineering Co. Results of Autumn 2007 Field Surveys for Botrychium rugulosum in Proposed Land Exchange Parcels at PolyMet Mine Site. 2007. (4 MB)
  42. Barr Engineering Co. Results of Sensitive Plant Species Surveys along Dunka Road and Pipeline Route. 2008. (1 MB)
  43. Barr Engineering Co. Summaries of Sensitive Species Surveys Conducted by MNRI and Additional Sensitive Species Locations from the MNDNR NHIS Database. 2011. (2 MB)
  44. Barr Engineering Co. Sensitive Plant Species Survey Report: PolyMet Plant Site. October 5, 2017. (7 MB)
  45. U.S. Forest Service,Superior National Forest; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Memorandum of Agreement Regarding the NorthMet Mining Project, St. Louis County Minnesota. December 2016. (6 MB)
  46. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources. Wetland Conservation Act Technical Guidance on Rare Natural Communities. February 28, 2017. (1 MB)
  47. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources; Minnesota Board of Water & Soil Resources. Wetland Conservation Act Technical Guidance on Rare Natural Communities. November 7, 2017. (1 MB)
  48. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Field Guide to the Native Plant Communities of Minnesota: The Laurentian Mixed Forest Province. s.l. : Ecological Land Classification Program, Minnesota County Biological Survey, and Natural Heritage and Nongame Research Program, St. Paul, MN, 2003. (13 MB)
  49. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Laurentian Uplands Subsection. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources - Nature - Ecological Classification System - Laurentian Mixed Forest - North Superior Uplands. [Online] https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ecs/212Le/index.html. (1 MB)
  50. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Minnesota Biological Survey - Native Plant Communities. GIS shapefile. The DNR Data Deli. [Online] http://deli.dnr.state.mn.us/metadata.html?id=L250000040201. (1 MB)
  51. Minnesota Geospatial Information Office. Minnesota Geospatial Commons. [Online] 2016. https://gisdata.mn.gov. (1 MB)
  52. Emmons & Oliver Resources, Inc. Cumulative Effects Analysis on Wildlife Habitat and Travel Corridors in the Mesabi Iron Range and Arrowhead Regions of Minnesota. 2006. (10 MB)
  53. Barr Engineering Co. Cumulative Effects Analysis of Wildlife Habitat and Threatened and endangered Wildlife Species: Keetac Expansion Project. 2009. (41 MB)
  54.  U.S. Army Corps of Engineers St. Paul District. Application of the Federal Mitigation Rule and St. Paul District Policy Guidance on Compensatory Mitigation, Compensation Ratios for Loss of Wetlands/Aquatic Resources. Draft Memorandum. May 29, 2013. (1 MB)
  55. Barr Engineering Co. Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Report 2007-2009. March 2010. (15 MB)
  56. Barr Engineering Co. Wetland Hydrology Study Report 2006 (RS44). [RS44 Draft-02]. November 20, 2006. (21 MB)
  57. Barr Engineering Co. Preliminary Wetland Hydrology Study Report 2005 (RS44). 2006. (21 MB)
  58. Barr Engineering Co. Wetland Hydrology Study Plan. June 24, 2005. (3 MB)
  59. Barr Engineering Co. Addendum to Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Plan. May 13, 2008. (4 MB)
  60. Barr Engineering Co. Addendum to Wetland Hydrology Study Plan. April : 12, 2010. (1 MB)
  61. U. S. Army Corps of Engineers. Technical Standard for Water-Table Monitoring of Potential Wetland Sites. Wetland Regulatory Assistance Program. ERDC TN-WRAP-05-02. June 2005. (2 MB)
  62. Barr Engineering Co. Potential Indirect Wetland Impact Vegetation Monitoring Plan Memorandum to Steve Eggers (USACE), Colleen Allen (MNDNR). Prepared for Poly Met Mining Inc. NorthMet Project. June 8, 2015. (2 MB)
  63. Barr Engineering Co. Effect of Spring Mine Lake Restoration Project on Stream Augmentation for Unnamed (Mud Lake) Creek. November 7, 2016. (1 MB)
  64. Barr Engineering Co. Wetland Hydrology Monitoring Report Summary 2005-2016 v1. February 2017. (90 MB)

Permit Related Documents

State consultant financial assurance reports
Added on January 11, 2017

Initial Permit to Mine Application
November 3, 2016

To view PolyMet's initial Permit to Mine application in PDF format please use the links below:

Appendix Documents for Initial Permit to Mine Application

Reference Documents for Initial Permit to Mine Application

April 19th, 2016 Public Meeting

Informational page from past public meeting on April 19, 2016

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