Opinion Piece
The Tamarack Mine isn’t all it’s cracked up to be
Icebergs are melting, air quality is declining, ecosystems are being destroyed, animals are going extinct, and so much more. It’s now become more important than ever to focus on environmental issues as everything is changing far too rapidly. It’s important that everyone pays attention to things that are happening and weigh every angle, as the impact we have on the environment and vice versa is the greatest it’s ever been.
The possible Tamarack Mine in Northeastern Minnesota, just 50 miles from Duluth, would be the second nickel mine in the United States. It poses a tough question regarding environmental friendliness and cleanliness. While the Tamarack Mine is keeping a sharp eye on the environment, mining is still too damaging to justify its operation.
The explored zones for the potential Tamarack Mine
When it comes to the positives and negatives of this mining project, the latter seems to outweigh the former. In a recent analysis published by PLOS One, nickel was ranked as the 7th most damaging metal to human health and the environment with the 9th highest global warming potential as of 2008.
One major issue that should be considered is the damage that the buried rock waste from the sulfide mine could have on waterways, even long after the mine stops operating. Water Legacy, a Minnesota group dedicated to protecting our water, points out that “sulfide mining contaminates drinking water, impairs wild rice, and increases mercury contamination of fish, affecting local communities and natural and tribal resources.”
So, not only would the groundwater flowing through and around the buried waste affect major lakes, rivers, and streams that are abundant in Minnesota, but it would have an impact on everything the water touches. An Ojibwe reservation sits within 10 miles of the Tamarack Mine, where contaminated water would disrupt their wild rice patties. Wild rice is not only a livelihood but part of their culture that deserves to be protected just like the water itself.
How acid mine drainage can affect a river
Additionally, tourism of the nearby lakes and cabins on these waters would be affected as the water would no longer be sustainable. Fish and wildlife could die, plus swimming, drinking, and using water for anything would be impossible.
Not only are the side effects of mining dangerous, even with new “clean” ideas, Minnesota has a track record of not regulating mining pollution well. As Water Legacy states, “recently, courts have suspended and reversed PolyMet [another mining operation] permits and found that Minnesota agencies failed to limit sulfate pollution under the federal Clean Water Act.”
And who’s to say the mine will stop with this small operation? Rio Tinto, the larger company backing the smaller company, Talon, that would run the operation, has a reputation of violating human rights and environmental laws all over the globe. The mine may start small with Talon, but if it becomes a success there may be cause for Rio Tinto to push for a larger mining area or use unsafe practices to get the most out of the mine they have. This would create a bigger operation with bigger risks.
It is conceded that the Tamarack Mine wants to exploit the mineral deposits in order to tap into the electronic car market by producing nickel for these battery operated cars. This market will continue to grow and increase in demand due to President Biden’s focus on clean energy.
However, because the United States does not have a nickel refinery, all mined nickel would be shipped overseas to be processed in order to be properly used. The gas needed to ship the nickel is damaging to the air and the ocean itself, depending on the mode of transportation. We would need to build a refinery in America for this idea to be possibly considered “clean.”
In addition to their “noble” cause, which is still only to tap into a lucrative market for personal gain, they plan to carefully bury all their waste and use a “direct air” carbon capture system which sucks CO2 from the air that is generated by the mining and permanently stores it in this rock waste. Although the process has meet some success in Iceland, it is still new and the long term effects are unknown.
Another positive attribute people consider is the creation of jobs and the Tamarack Mine in particular is estimated to generate about 450 of them. The catch is that it isn’t known how many of these jobs are given to local residents or even people in the state. When discussing this topic with my father, he mentioned that he was working near a mining project in Minnesota and ran into a few men in the town. Many of them were from out of state, even from places like Kentucky, as the mine wanted workers that were already experienced and have worked for them in the past.
Although Talon is trying it’s best to create a relatively small impact with the Tamarack Mine, the negative impacts on the environment are still too heavy to allow this mining operation. If we want to continue down the path of clean energy, we have to figure out ways to harvest the energy from natural resources without damaging the environment or human health. Otherwise, it’s counterproductive.