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waterlegacy.bsky.social
WaterLegacy
@waterlegacy.bsky.social
Minnesota-based nonprofit formed in 2009 to protect Minnesota waters and the communities that rely on them. Learn more:
www.waterlegacy.org
There’s still time! Comment by Monday, September 14 to tell the Minnesota DNR what must be included in EIS environmental review of the proposed Talon Metals Tamarack sulfide ore mine. Click here for talking points & template comments you can edit and send DNR TODAY:
waterlegacy.org/talon-mine-c...
September 12, 2026 at 5:03 PM
"If Eagle Mine is the industry’s best case, Minnesota should be asking what the worst case looks like."

Nitrate, ammonia, sulfate, "falls of ground"--read what Eagle Mine's monitoring data reveals in this op-ed from Paula Maccabee & Pete Marshall in Star Tribune:
www.startribune.com/readers-writ...
Readers Write: Mass surveillance, ‘8647’ crop art, hemp, mining, citizenship
Say no to government spying with Flock cameras (and anything else).
www.startribune.com
September 8, 2026 at 7:51 PM
RSVP for FREE Comment Workshop in Stillwater on Tuesday, Sept. 8 from 5:30-7:30 PM!
bit.ly/RSVPEastMetr...

Hear the latest on the proposed Talon Metals mine plan and craft your own comment to the MN DNR to protect the Mississippi and St. Croix River watersheds from a Tamarack Mine sacrifice zone.
September 1, 2026 at 9:07 PM
COMMENT TODAY: NewRange’s proposed plan to discharge sulfate and drain and rewet wetlands threatens a perfect storm for increased mercury contamination of fish. Tell the U.S. Army Corps to reject the Section 404 permit for the NewRange copper-nickel sulfide ore mine:
waterlegacy.org/newrange-com...
August 31, 2026 at 9:01 PM
READ Star Tribune coverage of NewRange's new plan to destroy more wetlands than previously proposed:
www.startribune.com/under-new-pl...
Revised northern Minnesota mine plan would destroy more wetlands than previously proposed
The open-pit mine near Babbitt lacks three key permits and is asking for a new wetland permit from the Army Corps of Engineers.
www.startribune.com
August 29, 2026 at 12:38 AM
ACTION ALERT: Your comment to the U.S. Army Corps is needed! This may be your only chance to ask the Army Corps to reject the Section 404 (wetlands destruction) permit for the NewRange copper-nickel sulfide ore mine in Minnesota’s Lake Superior watershed:
waterlegacy.org/newrange-com...
August 25, 2026 at 7:37 PM
Good news for the BWCA. Minnesota's water-rich environment is inappropriate for sulfide ore mining.
www.mprnews.org/story/2026/0...
Walz executive order moves to block copper mining near the Boundary Waters
Four months after Congress reversed a ban on mining over about 350 square miles in the watershed of the northeastern Minnesota wilderness, Gov. Tim Walz has issued a state executive order to block cop...
www.mprnews.org
August 19, 2026 at 3:21 PM
Thank you to everyone who showed up, spoke up, and spread the word for water at the DNR’s public comment meeting in Blaine this week!

There's still time to send a written comment to DNR with your requests by Sept. 14:
waterlegacy.org/talon-mine-c...

📸: P. Maccabee, A. Richardson, and S. Patane
August 15, 2026 at 5:03 PM
TODAY'S THE DAY: Come to Blaine this evening from 5:00-9:00 pm for the final DNR public comment meeting to determine the scope of EIS environmental review for the proposed Talon Metals mine. RSVP here:
bit.ly/RSVPforDNRMe...
August 12, 2026 at 5:54 PM
SHOW UP AUG. 12 IN BLAINE: Speak up this Wednesday to prevent a Tamarack Mine Sacrifice Zone and downstream contamination to the Mississippi and St. Croix River watersheds. RSVP HERE:
bit.ly/RSVPforDNRMe...
Please share with your friends, neighbors, and community!
August 10, 2026 at 11:41 PM
TALONS OFF OUR WATERS:
Show up 8/12 in Blaine at the DNR public meeting and comment to prevent a Tamarack area sulfide ore mining sacrifice zone and downstream contamination. RSVP TODAY:
bit.ly/RSVPforDNRMe...

Curious about commenting? Join us tomorrow in St. Louis Park:
bit.ly/RSVPWestMetr...
August 9, 2026 at 12:00 AM
Now’s the time to show up and comment to prevent a Tamarack area sulfide ore mining sacrifice zone. The MN DNR needs to hear from you on Aug. 5 (McGregor) and Aug. 12 (Blaine) on what must be studied in EIS environmental review. RSVP TODAY:
bit.ly/RSVPforDNRMe...

waterlegacy.org/talon-mine-c...
August 1, 2026 at 5:31 PM
What is the whole truth on Talon Metals' mine plan? Read Michigan Advance coverage of some of the (many) unanswered questions:
michiganadvance.com/2026/07/28/r...
Plans for North Dakota nickel processing unclear as company also evaluates Michigan site • Michigan Advance
A ceremony last year celebrated a key step in converting a former North Dakota coal mine into a processing site for nickel mined in Minnesota. But now the future of the project looks less clear, with ...
michiganadvance.com
July 30, 2026 at 4:50 PM
Read breaking news in the Star Tribune about the possible revival of the PolyMet/NewRange zombie mine.

From our perspective, more than tailings waste storage needs to change.

Full article:
www.startribune.com/long-stalled...
Proposed Iron Range copper-nickel mine, long a source of controversy, gets new push
The company behind the NorthMet mine has redesigned several components of its waste and water handling. Where boosters see an economic boon, critics warn of environmental consequences.
www.startribune.com
July 29, 2026 at 10:11 PM
ACTION ALERT: A critical comment period has started for the proposed Talon Metals mine near Tamarack, MN. Your comments and your presence at public meetings on Aug. 5 and Aug. 12 are needed:
forms.gle/97vchvrrvTT6...

Click for talking points and send a comment: waterlegacy.org/talon-mine-c...
July 23, 2026 at 7:53 PM
Next Saturday, July 25, you are invited to join an amazing Nibi (Water) Walk for "The Water That Gives Life." The walk will begin at 7am by Big Sandy Lake in McGregor, MN and end at Tamarack. RSVP and learn more here:
docs.google.com/forms/d/1fd3...
July 18, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Aaron Brown asks about the Talon Metals mine proposal in the Mississippi watershed, "is what we get worth what we might lose?"

Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Chief Executive Virgil Wind explains the losses would be serious:
www.startribune.com/critical-min...
Brown: The big question behind Minnesota’s mining debate
From columnist Aaron Brown: Less than 10 miles away from one of the state’s most productive wild rice stands, Talon Metals is planning what could become the state’s first nonferrous mine.
www.startribune.com
July 13, 2026 at 4:06 PM
Do you live in southern Minnesota and have a private well? You may be able to get your well tested for toxic arsenic for FREE. Visit Freshwater Society for more info: freshwater.org/rural_health...
Rural Health and Drinking Water - Freshwater Society
Arsenic has been found in well water in areas of Souther Minnesota. The only way to know your water is safe is to test.
freshwater.org
July 7, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Please take two minutes to comment now: waterlegacy.org/eqb-gas-rule...
June 30, 2026 at 9:30 PM
ACTION ALERT: Did you know Minnesota is about to launch a new gas development industry without environmental review? Your comments are needed by Thursday, JULY 2 to stop a broken process and send the EQB back to the drawing board to draft rules that protect MN: waterlegacy.org/eqb-gas-rule...
June 29, 2026 at 10:15 PM
“Talons Off Our Wild Rice!” - RSVP for FREE WEBINAR Tues., June 30 at 6:00 pm:
bit.ly/threatstowil...
Take action to prevent a mining sacrifice zone in the heart of Minnesota’s manoomin abundance.
June 26, 2026 at 8:48 PM
ACTION ALERT: The Air Emissions Permit for U.S. Steel Minntac is up for renewal. Minntac is one of the biggest mercury sources in Minnesota. Tell MPCA to require Minntac to reduce mercury air emissions and STOP poisoning Minnesota water and fish:
waterlegacy.org/minntac-air-...
June 11, 2026 at 10:07 PM
MN has NO experience with prospecting or producing gas. Yet, the Legislature has told our state agencies to set rules for gas exploration in a hurry & without any public process! Comment by TOMORROW, June 10 to protect MN water, health, and safety:
waterlegacy.org/mdh-gas-rules/
June 9, 2026 at 8:08 PM
READ Timberjay coverage of the MPCA's draft air emissions permit for U.S. Steel Minntac, including community concerns about the lack of enforcement to reduce mercury emissions:
www.timberjay.com/stories/unti...
Proposed Minntac air permit lacks stricter mercury standards - The Timberjay
REGIONAL — The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is seeking public comment through June 14 on a new draft air emissions permit for U.S. Steel’s Minntac taconite operation in Mt. Iron. Rave …
www.timberjay.com
June 5, 2026 at 10:54 PM
READ retired miner Mike Maleska’s commentary: "Gov. Walz needs to leave a positive legacy for people who love Minnesota's outdoors (fishing, hunting, ricing) and for the subsistence rights that our indigenous neighbors were promised and on which they rely."

www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/colu...
Local View: Walz can still make right call to protect wild rice
From the column: "Like most people in the taconite industry, I was unaware while employed of the taconite tailings pollution issue or its enormity. It's fair to say many remain unaware."
www.duluthnewstribune.com
May 29, 2026 at 5:45 PM