Keetac EIS determined adequate

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Keetac EIS determined adequate
(Released December 30, 2010)


The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) announced today that the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed U.S. Steel Keetac Mine Expansion Project is adequate, signaling that the company may be issued state permits if it can meet permit requirement. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which acted as a co-lead agency with the DNR for purposes of EIS development, will issue a separate and independent decision on the final EIS.

The proposed project, located near the city of Keewatin between St. Louis and Itasca counties, would increase Keetac’s annual taconite pellet production output by 3.6 million tons, to a total output of 9.6 million tons per year, by expanding the existing mine and re-starting an idle production line. The proposed project is estimated to begin in 2012 or 2013.”We are very happy that this thorough review process paved the way for what could be an important project for northern Minnesota,” said DNR Commissioner Mark Holsten. “If the proposed project proceeds, it will mean a boost in employment on the range.”

The decision comes at the end of a review process that began in the spring of 2008. During the process, DNR staff identified several opportunities for meaningful reductions in the project’s environmental impacts, while maintaining the project’s feasibility. This included avoiding the loss of 100 acres of wetlands.

A determination that the final EIS is adequate means that the document describes potentially significant issues, provides responses to public comments, and was prepared in compliance with applicable rules. State permits may now be issued for the proposed project if it complies with state regulations.