See the 3 o'Clock Hour in Section 2 Call 365-3141 to subscribe! 3 Sections , OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR ISD 696f CITIES OF ELY & WlNTON, TOWNSHIPS OF MORSE AND FALL LAKE, MN ©2011 Ely Echo VOLUME 40, NUMBER 28, SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011 r ALICE IN ELYLAND with Alice Moren playing a starring role on this float in the Fourth of July parade in Ely on Monday. Photo by Nick Wognum. "FREE FREEZIES for parade watchers from Jim Zupancich of Zup's Food Market during the July 4 parade: With temps in the 80s, the freezies were a hot item. Photo by Nick Woum. APPLAUSE AND PHOTOS from the crowd as the July 4 parade passed on exec gOes into lion's den Moore defends project, lays out environmental process in Ely visit by Tom Coombe A P01yMet mining representa- tive faced a skeptical audience Tuesday while contending that the region's first nonferrous min- ing initiative can be done without harm to the environment. Brad Moore, former commis- sioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, pledged this week that PolyMet will meet water quality standards and come up with a safe way to dispose of waste rock as it looks to develop a copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes. "I happen to think that what we'll be proposing will be as good as any mine in the world," said Moore, PolyMet's vice president of environmental and governmental affairs. "We're on record saying 'tell us what standard you want us to meet and we will meet it.'" But many in a packed house of nearly 100 people at the Grand Ely Lqdge didn't seem to be convinced. Most who questioned Moore were opposed to the project, blasting the environmental re- cord of Glencore, a major stock- holder in PolyMet. Others said the environmental risks of copper-nickel min- ing are too severe while some also lashed out against similar proposals, including a proposal by Twin Metals Minnesota to develop a copper-nickel mine near Ely, Jane Koschak, an Ely area re- sort owner and a vocal opponent of copper-nickel mining projects proposed for the region, was one of several people to raise ques- tions about the environmental impacts. Koschak also doubted PolyMet's financial viability. "I would dare say that there are people in this room with more assets than PolyMet," said Koschak. "This is a new kind of mining to our area, and I think that we need to be educated and move slowly, if at all." But Moore, who led the state's PCA under former Gov. Tim Pawlenty, deflected many of the questions and defended the moves PolyMet has made to soothe environmental concerns. After an early draft of an environmental impact statement raised a series of objections, Moore said PolyMet regrouped, met with state and federal of- ficials and came up with a better plan. A supplemental environmen- tal impact statement is due out this fall and is the next step toward permitting a mine that could create as many as 350 long-term jobs, spin-off employ- ment and hundreds of construc- tion positions. "You all get another bite at the apple," Moore said of the supple- mental E1S and the opportunity for public comment. Public comments, as well as red flags raised by environmen- tal agencies, forced PolyMet to rework some of its initial plans and Moore addressed several environmental issues during his roughly 40-minute presentation. The U.S. Environmental Pro- tection Agency, which ques- tioned whether PolyMet could meet water quality standards, is now participating in the permit- ting process and has joined other agencies including the Min- nesota Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service. "The next draft will include a response to every comment nmde (to the first draft)," said Moore. According to Moore, PolyMet has responded to U.S. EPA objec- tions by "adjusting environmen- tal controls" and "making sure that models will meet standards." Moore said PolyMet has scrapped its original proposal to put waste rock in liners and has instead settled on a plan to store it"subaqueously," or underwater. It's similar to a process that has been done safely in Canada, he said. Moore also said that PolyMer is in position to provide financial assurance to pay for clean-up in case of environmental damage. He pointed to stringent assur- ance laws already in place in Minnesota. PolyMet is one of several companies hoping to tap into vast mineral deposits in the region. (Continued on Page Seven) Mystery object found; who can identify it? Earlier this summer, Sheldon Ajax wrote to the Ely Echo: "One of my favorite places to fish is between the rapids on the South Kawisliwi River above White Iron Lake. A somewhat remote dangerous place. Access to these areas is via some extremely rugged and quite long portages. In all my 35 years of fishing this area I can count the number of people that I have seen on the fingers of my hands. Despite the good fishing, few folks that I have guided in have ever wanted to go back. "Last week I spotted a piece of stainless steel strap sticking out of the ground. I gave the strap a tug and it would not move. After a bit of digging, I found a real mystery. "What lay in the ground on top of a hill, a good mile from the lake was a 50 pound solid lead, torpedo-shaped object about two feet long. The aforementioned stainless steel strap turned out to be about a foot long and has numbers stamped on it. The strap is at- tached to the lead center of the torpedo with a stainless steel bolt that turns freely. "On the tapered end of the object there are three 4 inch long aluminum fins. Two horizontal and one vertical, just like an airplane. Everything about the thing is very well made. The object is in good shape, but shows considerable signs of wear on the nose and bottom. Almost like it has been dragged over the bottom of a rocky lake. "On my next trip into my fishing holes; I brought a pack frame and carried my 'treasure' out. An Internet search came up empty. Nobody can figure out what this thing is. No small feat to lug 50 pounds of lead a mile, through the woods back to my boat on White Iron." And now the entire intellect of Echo read- ers will be brought to bear on this mystery. Call Nick Wognum at 365-3141 if you can help solve this. WHAT IS IT? Found 50 yards from the shoreline of the South Kawishiwi River by Sheldon Ajax was this curious device. If you know what this is, please call Nick at the Echo at 218-365-3141. OVER $3,400 in donations collected by Ely Jaycees mem- bers during the July 4 parade. Holding a fireman's boot to put donations in was Jenny Dodge. Photo by Nick Wognum IMB Theatre group coming to Ely on 29th Community meeting, set for Thursday at Vermilion CC, to help determine topics by Tom Coombe Thanks to a state arts grant, Ely will play host to a theatre troupe noted for their perfor- mances on social issues. The CLIMB Theatre team will perform in Ely, at White- side Park, on Friday July 29 in conjunction with the Blueberry/ Art Festival. In preparation for that visit, a community discussion is set for this Thursday, starting at 6 p.m., in classroom 109 at Vermilion Community College. Organizers hope to initiate a community conversation and at- tract as many as 20-to-25 people from five different generations. Their mission? To choose from several potential topics for the upcoming theatre production. "One of the deals for them to come is we have to have a community meeting," said Mary Larson, the local coordinator (Continued on Page Seven) 'f i , ,;= • , The mayor reported his brother spotted the state legislature in the Ely July 4 parade. Or it was the Klown Band. i