ELY, Minn. — A pair of leases to mine copper and nickel near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) have been canceled by the Biden administration, leaving Twin Metals out in the cold... at least temporarily.
The decision was announced Wednesday by the Department of the Interior, overturning a decision to reinstate the mining leases by the Trump administration. Principal Deputy Solicitor Ann Bledsoe Downs ruled that the leases, granted in the spring of 2019, improperly violated department regulations and renewal terms.
Bledsoe Downs also said the DOI "may not diminish or bypass the Forest Service’s statutory consent authority over federal solid mineral leasing decisions in Minnesota," including when it comes to decisions about renewing mining leases.
Environmental groups have strongly opposed mining in the area adjacent to the BWCA, saying run-off from the proposed Twin Metals Minnesota mine would flow into the pristine waters of the wilderness area with the potential of permanent damage to the ecosystem.
"Today is a major win for Boundary Waters protection," said Becky Rom, National Chair of the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters. "This action by the Biden administration re-establishes the long-standing legal consensus of five presidential administrations and marks a return of the rule of law. It also allows for science-based decision-making on where risky mining is inappropriate."
Proclaiming a "truly, truly great day," Chris Knopf, the executive director of Friends of Boundary Waters Wilderness, said in a news conference that "Twin Metals was an existential threat to the boundary waters, and it could not go forward." Democratic Representative Betty McCollum, meanwhile, echoed the Department of Interior's stance and said the "Biden administration has put us on the right path."
The ruling does not sit well with mining proponents, however, including Representative Pete Stauber, a Republican who represents the Iron Range. He said Twin Metals deserves the opportunity for a full environmental review, which has been ongoing since the company first proposed the mining project in 2019.
"And the Biden administration seemed fit to, again, put politics over the facts, the truth, and the science," Stauber said in an interview. "The mine, it's a 21st-century mine. Anti-mining, anti-jobs folks, just don't seem to understand that and we're going to continue to push."
In earlier documents filed with the state, Twin Metals had disputed that its project would risk acid mine drainage to the boundary waters and predicted it would create at least 700 full-time positions. In all, the company had already invested more than $400 million.
Brian Hanson, chair of the group "Jobs for Minnesotans," said the Biden administration made a mistake canceling the leases and that the mine could uncover critical minerals to supply windmills and solar panels.
"Especially at a time where we're trying to deal with climate change and have a clean energy future, we need these minerals," Hanson said. "The company doesn't have any choice but to go to court."
Indeed, Twin Metals said in a statement that "we will challenge this attempt to stop our project and defend our valid existing mineral rights. We expect to prevail."
The company continued: "This is not about law; this is a political action intended to stop the Twin Metals project without conducting the environmental review prescribed in law."
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities in our YouTube playlist: