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McCollum Requests EPA Staff Comments Regarding PolyMet Mine Project

February 25, 2019

WASHINGTON — Congresswoman Betty McCollum (DFL-Minn.) has sent a letter to Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler requesting a copy of any written comments or concerns prepared by EPA staff regarding a Minnesota mine project be made public. Documents revealed through a Minnesota public records request make it clear that EPA career staff had planned to deliver written comments about the project's permits to Minnesota regulators outlining their concerns.

Congresswoman McCollum released the following statement:

"In the interests of transparency and maintaining the public's trust, I'm requesting that EPA immediately make available to the public the written comments prepared on the PolyMet mining project's permits," Rep. McCollum said. "EPA's mission is to protect public health and the environment by safeguarding the air we breathe and the water we drink. Sulfide-ore mining has the potential to significantly impact water quality, which is why such an extensive and public permitting process exists. If the qualified, expert EPA scientists and professional staff prepared comments outlining any concerns regarding these permits, then the American people have the right to know."

A copy of the letter to Acting Administrator Wheeler is available here.

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