Congressional Provisions Threaten Boundary Waters Mining Ban and Twin Metals Leases

The US House of Representatives' version of an appropriations bill includes language that would limit enforcement of the 20-year moratorium on hard-rock mining on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest, potentially paving the way for Twin Metals to resume mining operations. The bill would also reinstate two key mineral leases to Twin Metals, a company owned by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta. This comes despite the Biden administration's efforts to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from environmental threats posed by mining activities.

Key Takeaways:

• The proposed legislation would bar any money from being spent to enforce the 20-year moratorium on hard-rock mining on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest, effectively limiting the enforcement of the mining ban.
• The bill would reinstate two key mineral leases to Twin Metals, a company owned by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta, which is seeking to build a large underground copper-nickel mine and dry-stacked tailings storage facility near Ely, Minnesota.
• The language in the appropriations bill could make it into law, potentially leading to the return of Twin Metals' leases and the resumption of mining operations in the rainforest watershed.
• Unlike administrative actions, which can be reversed by a future president, laws passed by Congress would require another act of Congress to change, making it more difficult to reverse the mining activities.
• Chris Knopf, executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, expressed concern that the language in the appropriations bill could lead to the alteration of the environment and water quality in the area.
• Twin Metals is committed to pursuing the responsible development of the copper, nickel, cobalt, and platinum group metals resources in northeast Minnesota, according to a statement from company spokesperson Kathy Graul.

Statistics:

• 20 years: the length of moratorium on hard-rock mining on 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest.
• 225,000 acres: the area covered by the moratorium on hard-rock mining.
• 5 miles: the distance between the proposed Twin Metals mine and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
• 8 years: the duration of the administrative back-and-forth on Twin Metals' federal leases and the mineral withdrawal.

Sources:

• "U.S. House proposes limiting enforcement of mining ban in Boundary Waters"

by Jimmy Lovrien, Washington,

Newspapers, August 1, 2023

• Statement by U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minnesota, August 1, 2023
• Press release by Twin Metals, August 1, 2023