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SUBMIT A COMMENT TO THE MPCA
Make your voice heard by submitting a public comment to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Deadline: September 22
How to Comment:
- Open an email to: stephanie.handeland@state.mn.us
- Copy this subject line:
Comment on NPDES permits MN0055948 and MN0031879 for U. S. Steel Keetac - Copy and paste the draft comment letter below. Please personalize based on a couple of individual comments to ensure MPCA counts as a unique voice.
I am writing to provide comments on the draft NPDES permits MN0055948 and MN0031879 for the U. S. Steel Keetac tailings basin and mining area. Like many Minnesotans, I value a strong, healthy environment and understand the importance of supporting good jobs and vibrant communities.
I am concerned about the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s (MPCA) sulfate water quality standard of 10 mg/L for wild rice waters. This outdated rule, which MPCA was directed to review and update in 2011, has yet to be revised to reflect modern science or site-specific conditions. Enforcing this 10 mg/L standard has serious consequences for Minnesota mines, local governments, and businesses across the state.
Wild rice health is influenced by multiple factors—water depth, fluctuation, competing vegetation, and predation—not just sulfate levels. In fact, wild rice has been shown to thrive in waters with much higher sulfate concentrations. Compliance with the 10 mg/L standard is not attainable with current technology and would place enormous costs on wastewater facilities, small businesses, and mines that provide thousands of good-paying jobs. A modern, science-based standard is needed.
Mining contributes over $1.8 billion to Minnesota’s economy each year and supports more than 4,000 family-sustaining jobs in Northeast Minnesota—jobs that pay nearly $950 above the regional average. The proposed compliance schedule for Keetac is not realistic. No proven, cost-effective sulfate treatment options exist today, and more time is needed to research and develop solutions that protect both natural resources and economic stability.
Additionally, Keetac’s discharges all flow to a single water body. The permits should use one compliance point that reflects these combined discharges, rather than requiring separate limits at each outfall. MPCA should also reconsider the site-specific standard applications submitted for Hay Lake, where healthy wild rice has grown for decades despite Keetac’s discharge.
In summary, I urge the MPCA to:
- Refrain from including sulfate limits in Keetac’s permits, or if limits remain, adjust the permits to include a single downstream compliance point and a realistic compliance schedule.
- Update the 10 mg/L sulfate standard as required by law, ensuring it reflects modern science, site-specific conditions, and practical implementation.
Thank you for considering these comments.
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Add your name, address, and phone number at the end of your email to show the MPCA your comment is from a real person. Then hit send.
Please submit comments by September 22 to support a modern, science-based sulfate standard that protects Minnesota’s environment while sustaining our communities and jobs.