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Exchanging school trust lands isn't 'for the sake of our children'

Whenever an issue becomes center stage at the Minnesota Legislature, citizens should be alert to a hidden political agenda.

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By dog team, ex-lawmaker delivers sulfide mining petitions

A group of several hundred people asked Gov. Mark Dayton and state lawmakers on Thursday to oppose copper and nickel mining permits in northeastern Minnesota.

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Quest for data slows copper-nickel mine near Hoyt Lakes

Environmentalists say that northeastern Minnesota, with forests, lakes and wetlands that make it one of the most beautiful and popular areas in the state, is the wrong place for such a mine. The risk of acid runoff and the leaching of heavy metals, they argue, are too great a risk. They also say it could threaten some of the declining number of Minnesota's naturally occurring stands of wild rice, a major concern for Indian tribes, because the plant does not grow well in water high in sulfates, another potential byproduct of the mine and ore processing.

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Runoff from old mines raises fears

Pollution problems near the Boundary Waters are raising concerns about future Minnesota mining projects. Environmental groups have found high concentrations of metals leaching into streams and wetlands from two long-closed sources: one old test mine and one abandoned mine. The pollution runs off waste rock excavated decades ago and piled at the sites.