Environmental Policy
In the planning and operation of our mine and processing facilities, PolyMet is guided by a simple but sincere environmental philosophy, which is summarized by the following statement:
Protect air and water and promote efficient use of resources via an open and transparent process while supplying metals essential for everyday life.
Putting this philosophy into practice is anything but simple. From the outset, it requires a commitment to put the environment first – in planning, choosing control options, making conservative (i.e. worst-case) assumptions about potential impacts and designing multiple safeguards. During operation, ongoing training and vigilance will ensure that environmental protection is a day-to-day expectation for every employee.
The ultimate result of this environmental philosophy is that PolyMet will protect the air and water upon which we all depend.
Environmental Philosophy in Action
- Re-Using Resources: PolyMet will re-use a major portion of the processing facilities of the former LTV Steel Mining Company—preventing these resources from being scrapped and eliminating the need to build new ones. PolyMet also will re-use LTV’s tailings basin.
- Minimizing Impacts: PolyMet strategically developed a compact footprint for its mine site and plant site to minimize the impact on wetlands. PolyMet will replace the wetlands it impacts as well as create significant new wetlands at closure. The reuse of the LTV infrastructure also minimizes impacts of disturbing new ground.
- Making Conservative Assumptions: PolyMet used complex models to predict the potential to release pollutants. To avoid under-predicting impacts, PolyMet ran models using conservative assumptions – i.e. worst-case scenarios – and chose controls that will protect the environment even under these unlikely, worst-case situations. This approach was used to design control technologies for mining operations, tailings basin and stockpile management, processing plant emission controls and closure.
- Using Multiple Safeguards: PolyMet has chosen not to rely on a single environmental control, but instead has designed multiple safeguards to ensure the environment is protected. For example, waste rock stockpiles will be constructed on liner systems with engineered drains that will direct any water collected on the liner to a wastewater treatment system. Stockpiles will also have cover systems to prevent water from entering the stockpile, greatly reducing the potential for Acid Rock Drainage.
- Choosing the Best Available Controls: PolyMet has chosen to install new, more efficient air emission controls on the former LTV processing equipment—even though this is not required by environmental regulations.
- Eliminating Surface Water Discharge: PolyMet will not discharge its process waters to surface waters. PolyMet will collect, treat, recycle and re-use water in the process.
- Maximizing Mineral Recovery/Minimizing Energy Use: PolyMet will recover the copper, nickel, cobalt, platinum, palladium and gold contained in its ore, and will use the sulfur in the ore to generate the much of the energy needed to recover these minerals, minimizing the need for additional process energy.
Environmental Policy
This philosophy has evolved to a formal company policy consisting of:
- PolyMet will conduct itself in an open and transparent manner in the reporting of environmental compliance monitoring.
- PolyMet will collect, treat and maximize the reuse of process water to minimize the requirement for new water and maintain zero surface water discharge during operations.
- PolyMet will consider energy efficiency and potential environmental effects in the selection of processes, equipment, products and materials.
- PolyMet operations will incorporate plans for ultimate closure and reuse of disturbed land.
- PolyMet will make all employees part of protecting the environment by ensuring that all employees are aware of the potential consequences of their action or inaction.