FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

October 6th, 2015

GREEN PARTY MINNEASOTA SUPPORTS #STOPPOLYMET RALLY, OPPOSES "SULFIDE MINING"

Tuesday October, 13th organizations including MPIRG, the Minnesota Environmental Partnership, Water Legacy and more will rally and march to the Minnesota DNR building to kick off a "#StopPolyMet campaign" starting at 3pm. The Green Party of Minnesota will be marching in solidarity with the #StopPolyMet rally.

The Green Party of Minnesota's support of the grassroots opposition to the proposed PolyMet Mine is simple. It can be found specifically in our Party Platform-

"No copper-nickel-precious metals mines (a.k.a. sulfide mining) shall be permitted as they threaten Minnesota’s water resources and natural heritage."

While we understand the importance of economic stability to families in Northern Minnesota, we believe the costs far outweigh the benefits.

By their own estimation, PolyMet predicts 20 years of jobs for billions of dollars of taxpayer funded cleanup over 500 years.

The privatization of profits and the socialization of costs is nothing new in corporate America.  This destruction and theft of public resources for private gain is beyond outrageous. 

What's more, Glencore, a Swiss owned mining company which owns Polymet, has connections to some of the worst environmental disasters on the planet and has been accused of human rights abuses around the world. 

Given the proximity of this proposed mine to the priceless Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the recent disasters such as the Mount Polley mining breach, a mine which was designed by a company now consulting with PolyMet, gives us even more reason to oppose such plans.

"Our water is our life, it's that simple. Because of this, I am emphatically against sulfide mining in Minnesota and am proud to be a member of the only Political Party in the state to take such a strong stance against these dangerous mines. Instead, we should be protecting our wetlands and bolstering conservation efforts now so that our children will have a habitable Minnesota to inherit," said Lena Buggs, Green Party of Minnesota co-chair and Ramsey County Soil and Water Candidate.

The Green Party of Minnesota supports finding economic solutions for Northern Minnesota that are sustainable and do not irreparably destroy our priceless water, air, and land. 

Solutions that Green the economy such as massive investments in renewable energies and the reclamation of precious minerals such as copper could not only put Northern Minnesotan's back to work in growing industries, but may help to mitigate the detrimental effects of climate change and stop the destruction of our ecosystems.

More info on #StopPolyMet here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1653046868269790/

Green Party Minnesota

For further media inquiries please contact Green Party Minnesota Spokesperson Brandon Long at [email protected].