Polymet: An Argumentative Analysis

Northern Minnesota is filled with various species of wildlife. Sixteen species are declared endangered, threatened, or watched up north (MN DNR, 2015). A company called Polymet has proposed an open-pit Coppermine in this fragile environment. There have been controversial arguments on the construction of this mine. Many positive impacts could come out of the mine. However, in my opinion, the negative outcomes outweigh the positive ones. The price of this supposed progress might be higher than some think. The Coppermine may provide permanent jobs for citizens, but it comes with the cost of pollution. Polymet would totally destroy the environment in the area they would be mining. 900-1900 acres of wetlands would be affected (MN DNR, 2015). The company claims that they will rebuild and restore the area, but it would not be that easy. Given …show more content…
They say their operation will be safe, and there is nothing to worry about. Unfortunately, the past has shown otherwise. A company named Glencore financially backs Polymet. The Chairman of the Glencore board of directors is Tony Hayward. Hayward is the former CEO of BP. He was the man in charge when the Deepwater Horizon oilrig caused the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the largest oil spill in history. The process to get the copper has proved to be risky towards the environment. Copper is found in the form of copper-sulfide. This type of mining has never happened in Minnesota before. In every other state that is has been performed, it is always associated with long lasting water pollution. Sulfide mines have never been operated without polluting its nearby waters. The Hardrock mining industry (sulfide mining is considered Hardrock mining) is identified as the largest toxic-waste producing industry in the U.S. by the EPA (Mining Truth). Even though Polymet claims they would restore the land, the past doesn’t provide a great track record to back them