Minnesota's Superior National Forest will be opened up to mining after the Senate overturned a 2023 moratorium by the Biden administration to prevent new mining within the federal land.
In a 50-49 vote, the Senate overturned the 20-year ban on mining within the Superior National Forest, in a major victory for the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta, which seeks to open nickel and copper mines near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness within the forest.
The vote was largely along party lines, with two Republicans, Susan Collins and Thom Tillis, joining the Democrats who opposed the moratorium's reversal.
Now a subsidiary of Antofagasta, Twin Metals, will move forward with plans to mine the area to reach the estimated 4 billion tons of nickel and copper ore below the surface.
Environmental advocates are attacking the Senate's decision, with Ingrid Lyons, Save the Boundary Waters' executive director, writing in a press release that "today is a dark day for America's most beloved Wilderness area, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and a stark warning call for public lands nationwide. Minnesotans and the American public writ large have been loud and clear — this iconic place needs to be protected."
In a speech on the floor of the Senate, Sen. Martin Heinrich, stated, "I can tell you, as somebody who has been a natural resources trustee, who has had to negotiate with copper companies in my own state, that this type of copper mining has never been done without polluting the water. Never, not once."
And the U.S. Forest Service similarly found, both in 2016 and 2022, that a proposed mine in the area would pose risks to waterways and soil. Additionally, Harvard researchers released a study stating that if the mines contaminated the protected environment, the state's recreation and tourism industries would suffer.
The bill will go to the president's desk, where he is expected to sign it into law. Yet, Twin Metals will not be able to construct a mine without permits at the state level.
Protecting our natural environment and resources is critical not just because of their inherent value, but also because we benefit from them. While this appears to be a win for mining companies, there are plenty of people advocating for the responsible use of natural resources and fighting against those who seek to exploit them.
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