db wrote on Jan 30^th, 2010 at 6:48am:

"• Fact: PolyMet's operation in Minnesota will be so environmentally and technologically cutting-edge that it will be a model for the world -- far from the outdated gloom-and-doom image painted by Friends of the Boundary Waters." .

I'll just say that mining has legacy issues just like other industries previous to the environmental movement in the 70's and the National Environmental Policy Act.  Environmental regulators are very much aware of sulfide mining potential for acid mine drainage and recent reclamation activities involve making sure that any waste rock is managed so that limestone is used to neutrallize its potential to become acidic.  This has been successfully demonstrated.  The other legacy from sulfide ores are from smelter operations like Sudbury Ontario and still in use thoughout the world, in Russia and China.  The new cutting edge hydro process for PolyMet uses an autoclave and sulfide ore as the fuel instead of smelting the ore.  

starwatcher