Minnesota Issues Permit to Mine for PolyMet Copper-Nickel Mine - Seite 2

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Pollution Control agency says it will make final air and water permit decisions before the end of the year; the federal Record of Decision and wetlands permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are expected to follow thereafter.

In relation to the permits issued today, site preparation and rehabilitation of the former LTV Steel Mining Company processing facilities, which the company acquired in 2005-06, will occur through the winter and early spring as the company prepares to modernize those facilities to process ore for the NorthMet project. The bulk of work will start with the 2019 construction season and is expected to be approximately 24-30 months and require about two million construction hours.

“We owe tremendous gratitude to our shareholders, Iron Range supporters, labor groups and those throughout the state who have stood by this project and this process. We are grateful for the trust they and our investors have put in us and the state to do this right,” Cherry said. “We also appreciate and respect the careful and thorough role the state has played throughout the public permitting process.”

An economic impact study by the University of Minnesota-Duluth Labovitz School of Business and Economics estimated the project will yield more than $500 million annually in economic benefits for St. Louis County and generate 660 indirect jobs in addition to the 360 full-time workers the company is expected to employ.

Permit details and status can be found on the state’s website at www.polymet.mn.gov.

This release has been reviewed and approved by Herb Welhener, an Independent Qualified Person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101.

About PolyMet

PolyMet Mining Corp. (www.polymetmining.com) is a publicly traded mine development company that owns 100 percent of Poly Met Mining, Inc., a Minnesota corporation that controls 100 percent of the NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals ore body through a long-term lease, and owns 100 percent of the Erie Plant, a large processing facility located approximately six miles from the ore body in the established mining district of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. Poly Met Mining, Inc. has completed its Definitive Feasibility Study. The NorthMet Final Environmental Impact Statement was published in November 2015, preparing the way for decisions on permit applications. NorthMet is expected to require approximately two million hours of construction labor, create approximately 360 long-term jobs directly, and generate a level of activity that will have a significant multiplier effect in the local economy.