ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Army Corps of Engineers, whose authority includes safeguarding water resources, gave its consent for North Shore Mining Company to expand its tailings dump at Thirtynine Creek near Babbit on the Iron Range. Colonel Karl Jansen, Corps commander, said the expansion is environmentally less damaging than practicable alternatives. The decision was a balance between the need for iron ore and concern for the protection of natural resources, Jansen said. The tailings will be waste from North Shore Mining’s open pit, which produces ore for taconite that is shipped out of Silver Bay on Lake Superior. The dump will cover 1,200 acres. Jansen said the Corps has spent several years considering the project and consulted nine tribal groups.
