Feds deny leases for Minnesota mine; company to press ahead
MINNEAPOLIS — Two longstanding mineral rights leases that are critical for a proposed large underground copper-nickel mine upstream from the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota will not be renewed, two federal agencies announced Thursday, but the company said it will press forward.
The decision by the Interior and Agriculture departments strikes a serious blow to the proposed $2.8 billion Twin Metals project near Ely, about 250 miles north of Minneapolis. The agencies also announced other steps to protect the Boundary Waters watershed from future mining projects.
However, the incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump potentially could reverse the decision. Trump’s nominee for interior secretary, Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, has advocated for increased mining on federal lands.
In a statement, the agencies cited “broad concerns from thousands of public comments and input about potential impacts of mining on the wilderness area’s watershed, fish and wildlife, and the nearly $45 million recreation economy.”