Rare Blanding's turtle could go on federal endangered list

The federal government is considering adding the Blanding's turtle to the endangered species list, as the yellow-throated reptile that once thrived throughout the Upper Midwest can now only be found in large numbers in parts of Minnesota and Nebraska.

Read the story at Minnesota Public Radio.

Avoiding death at work

Fatal accidents are increasing in stone, sand and gravel mines. These operations have experienced 20 of the 37 fatalities since October 2013. Nine deaths occurred in mines with 10 or fewer employees. Twelve occurred in mines with 20 to 40 employees. Frequently, victims were experienced workers who made mistakes.

Read more in Pit & Quarry.

Gov. Dayton proposes more, and better enforced, buffer strips along lakes and rivers

Gov. Mark Dayton stunned but delighted Minnesota’s leading conservationists Friday by announcing that he’ll push for a new law this legislative session that would require every lake and river in the state to be buffered by a wide strip of natural land, a significant step toward protecting both water and wildlife.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Gravel mine gets permission to operate 24/7 in UMore Park

When spring arrives and the UMore Park gravel mine starts up after a dormant winter, it will be operating on a new schedule: 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Dakota Aggregates mine, located in Rosemount on land owned by the University of Minnesota, is one of a number of south metro gravel mines that feed construction across the metro. As construction picks up in the economic recovery, so too does the demand for gravel.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

DNR shuts down Houston County sand mine

Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources ordered a sand mine in Erickson to shut down, saying it didn't ave a permit to operate near trout streams. The mine, which is the first in the state to run afoul of new sand-mining regulations, will be able to reopen once it gets the permit, the Winona Daily News reported.

Read more in Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. 

130 Years of Minnesota Mining: It Began in Soudan

July 31, 1884, was a great day on the Iron Range. It was so important that the hard-working multi-international immigrants of the Soudan Mine got the day off.

Read more in the Mesabi Daily News.

Vocal vote against the PEIS issue

The mayor and councilors didn't just vote unanimously against the proposed far-reaching environmental impact statement for the Superior National Forest - they put strong words behind their resolution in opposition.

. . . "We are quite sick and tired of the constant delays, lawsuits and stonewalling to develop this industry."

Read more in Mesabi Daily News.

Troubled mining industry now resurgent in Midwest

A way of life dating back more than a century appeared over in Michigan's Upper Peninsula when the last copper mine closed in 1995, idling more than 1,000 employees and turning this once-thriving company town into a forlorn outpost.

Read more at Associated Press.

One tough editorial: Beware candidates on mining

Republican gubernatorial candidate Marty Seifer didn't just jab at DFL Gov. Mark Dayton in a Mesabi Daily News story last summer, he threw some old-fashioned political haymakers - especially when it comes to mining issues.

Read more in the Mesabi Daily News.

MSHA explores factors involved in latest fatal accidents

MSHA held a summit for training professionals May 22 to discuss causes of the 20 metal and nonmetal mining deaths that have occurred since October 2013. MSHA determined several causes were at the root of the accidents, including failure to provide training, conduct examinations, de-energize power, conduct pre-operational checks, maintain mobile equipment, and provide and wear personal protective equipment.

Read more in Pit & Quarry.

Enough is Enough!

Some special interest groups want a far-reaching environmental impact statement done by the U.S. Forest Service on the effects of mining done in all of northern Minnesota, specifically in the Superior National Forest.

Read more in the Mesabi Daily News.

UMD creating new mining program

The University of Minnesota Duluth is creating a new program to turn out more graduates who can work in the mining field. UMD geology professor Jim Miller said at a conference Tuesday that the goal of the Mineral Resources Center is to graduate people with full understanding of the mining cycle, even if they specialize in certain areas.

Learn more at Mesabi Daily News.

NSSGA issues comments on proposed silica rules

NSSGA filed formal comments with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on the agency’s proposed rule on occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

OSHA’s proposal is important to aggregates producers because MSHA aims to propose a silica standard for the mining industry later this year, according to NSSGA, which is preparing to respond to MSHA’s proposal at that time.

Read more in Pit & Quarry.

Value of production tax erodes even as ore values skyrocket

At a time when Minnesota mining companies continue to reap major windfalls from the historically high price of taconite produced on the Iron Range, state and local taxpayers are definitely not sharing in the bounty.

Model frac-sand zoning standards are blasted by foes

Model zoning standards for Minnesota's frac-sand mining industry got their first public hearing Wednesday at a meeting of the state Environmental Quality Board and quickly came under fire by mining opponents.

Read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

State frac standards too lax?

The Minnesota Environmental Quality Board will take a first look today at proposed standards for frac sand mining activities, some of which have already drawn blowback from critics who say they're not nearly strict enough.

Read more in the Winona Daily News.

State regulators writing new frac sand rules

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and other state agencies are beginning to write new rules for frac sand mining as part of a plan ordered by the Legislature. The special silica sand, abundant in southeast Minnesota and southwest Wisconsin, is a vital piece of the oil drilling process in North Dakota's Bakken fields.

Read more at Minnesota Public Radio.

Winona County Board approves first frac sand mine

The Winona County Board of Commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to approve the first frac sand mine in the county. Commissioners Marcia Ward, Wayne Valentine, and Steve Jacob voted for the mine's approval, while commissioners Greg Olson and Jim Pomeroy opposed the measure.

Read more in Winona Daily News.

Enviro budget bill requires DNR approval for frac sand mining

Companies looking to mine frac sand in Minnesota would need to get approval from the Department of Natural Resources. The requirement was part of an environment budget bill passed by the Legislature on Saturday night.

Read more at Minnesota Public Radio.

DFL lawmaker: Compromise reached on frac sand regulations

The lawmaker who has pushed this year for tougher state regulation of the frac sand mining industry on Tuesday said DFL legislative leaders have reached a compromise on the legislation. Lawmakers have agreed to create a new Department of Natural Resources permit for companies hoping to mine silica sand in certain sensitive areas in southeastern Minnesota, said Sen. Matt Schmit, DFL-Red Wing.

Read more at Minnesota Public Radio.