9 October 2024
DULUTH — It appears that Sofidel will not need to submit an environmental impact statement to proceed with plans to expand its paper mill.
The Duluth Planning Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday evening to accept an environment assessment worksheet as sufficient evidence the project will not cause significant environmental harm, as proposed.
Sofidel, an Italian paper company, purchased the Duluth mill from ST Paper earlier this year and is looking to invest about $250 million in the facility. The project promises to expand the plant’s footprint by 588,759 square feet and is expected to add 160 new jobs to a payroll that already supports 80 employees.
The mill produces giant rolls of tissue paper that are then sent to other locations where they are turned into consumer products. The project would enable those “conversion” activities to occur on-site, with finished products such as toilet paper, facial tissues and paper towels shipping directly from Duluth.
Four building additions are proposed to accommodate the increased activities, including warehouse space.
The environmental assessment worksheet approved by the Duluth Planning Commission details how contaminated groundwater and soils will be safely handled during construction. The industrialized site contains PCBs, volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic compounds and lead.
The site is bordered by the St. Louis River on the east and Keene Creek, a designated trout stream, on the southwest. Portions of the property will likely need to be dewatered during the expansion, but that contaminated water will be hauled directly to the Western Lake Superior Sanitary District plant for treatment.
Project plans also call for the infill of 0.73 acres of wetlands. Sofidel will be required to mitigate the loss of those wetlands by buying off-site wetland credits.
Other concerns raised during the project review included noise and increased traffic. City officials contend these issues are both manageable, especially considering the previous industrial activity of the area. Truck traffic is expected to grow from about 30 vehicles daily to 71 vehicles daily by 2028.
To support the project, Duluth is still working to assemble an $18.43 million tax-increment financing package that will likely be headed to the Duluth City Council for consideration later this month.
The city is also pursuing $3.1 million in state aid from the Minnesota Investment Fund.
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