The Cottage Grove City Council has officially resolved to publish the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for a proposed backwater mine, to be located off Camp Galilee and south of the Schilling Archaeological District on Lower Grey Cloud Island.
Meeting Wednesday, Oct. 1, the Council passed the FEIS for publication in the consent agenda, thereby opening it up for public comment later this month.
The FEIS for the Nelson Mine Backwaters Project was submitted to the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board Oct. 7, with publication slated for Oct. 14 by the Environmental Quality Board. A comment period encompassing 10 business days will then ensue, ending on Tuesday, Oct. 28.
Following public comment, the council will be asked to determine the FEIS Statement’s “adequacy” on Nov. 5, with federal and state permitting to follow at a later date. Although not official until publication Oct. 14, those seeking a head start for reading purposes can find the FEIS on the city website at https://cottagegrovemn.gov/598/Nelson-Mine-Backwaters-Project-EIS.
For those who prefer the long route, the FEIS can be found by heading to www.cottagegrovemn.gov, followed by the ‘Your Government’ tab in the top left corner, then ‘Departments,’ ‘Community Development,’ ‘Planning Division,’ ‘Current Projects,’ and ‘Nelson Mine Backwaters Project EIS.’ The website for the Minnesota Environmental Quality Board Monitor that will officially publish the Nelson Mine Backwaters Project EIS is https://www.eqb.state.mn.us/eqb-monitor.
Comments on the Nelson Mine Backwaters Project FEIS will only be accepted by the city during the official comment period of Oct. 14 to Oct. 28. Comment during this time will be accepted through two methods, these being email and mail.
Email comments on the Nelson Mine Backwaters Project FEIS can be sent to eis@cottagegrovemn.gov.
Mail comments on the Nelson Mine Backwaters Project FEIS can be sent to:
Ms. Emily Schmitz
Community Development Director
12800 Ravine Parkway South
Cottage Grove, MN 55016

As for the Larson Quarry Expansion on Upper Grey Cloud, meanwhile, the EIS process is being overseen by Washington County, a draft EIS still months out according to Washington County planner Daniel Elder.
“There is no draft EIS document available,” Elder said for the Larson Quarry Expansion on Upper Grey Cloud. “The Scoping Decision was approved by the County Board on June 2024. The EIS document is being prepared but is not anticipated to be in draft form for public review and comment for a few months.”
A previous timeline put the release of the Larson Quarry Expansion Draft EIS in September of this year.