WPBN: Despite a lawsuit by scrap metal workers who say the measure will effectively shut down their industry, state-wide requirements to help combat copper wire theft will become law on January 1.
According to the new rule, anyone who recycles copper scrap metal for financial gain must get a license from the state. Other trade and contracting groups, including licensed electricians, are exempt.
The Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc.’s Upper Midwest Chapter sued the Minnesota Department of Commerce last month, claiming the rule will have a detrimental effect on the scrap metal sector. On behalf of the State of Minnesota and Department of Commerce, Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has submitted a move for dismissal, which will be heard in February.
A Ramsey County court rejected a request for a temporary restraining order to stop the law’s implementation on December 18.
The harm communities would suffer if the statute were stopped “far outweighed” the industry’s repercussions, according to Ramsey County Chief Judge Sara Grewing.
A spate of expensive copper wire thefts from city lampposts in Minneapolis and St. Paul is partly to blame for the new law.
Government representatives testified in April that the law would make it more difficult for persons to make money off of the sale of stolen copper wires, hence reducing the likelihood of copper wire thefts.
The aim, according to the group that filed the lawsuit to block the new law, is to draft legislation that will “put criminals behind bars while not crippling recycling.”
Making it more difficult for thieves to resell copper wire that has been stolen from lampposts or other electrical infrastructure is the aim of the bill from last year, and we support it. Jack Perry, an attorney for the Recycled Materials Association, formerly known as the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries, who is suing the company, said in a statement on Saturday that “we believe that can be done without sending thousands of tons of recyclable material to the landfill.”
The new law is receiving praise from Minneapolis and St. Paul city authorities. In 2023, the city of St. Paul spent over $1.2 million to combat copper wire theft, according to officials. According to Minneapolis officials, repairing stolen copper wire cost the city $545,000 in the last two years.
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According to the lawsuit, copper wire and metal are present in every scrap metal, including electronics, circuit boards, coins, sterling silver, automotive brakes and radiators, windows, gutters, costume jewelry, gardening tools, and home décor. Legitimate companies will therefore be in violation of the law if they carry on with their operations after the law takes effect.
According to Perry, the new rule and its standards will make it extremely difficult for anyone to recycle products that contain copper “either as a component or as an alloy. Copper is found in everything from brass and bronze to aluminum alloys and much more. We have already reached out to the authors of last year’s bill and asked for their help making changes to narrow the law’s focus.”
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“We are seeking injunctive relief, giving legislators time to work through changes and implement workable solutions,” Perry stated.
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