DULUTH Minnesota Department of Natural Resources stopped working on their environmental review of the proposed underground copper/nickel mine near Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This was shortly after the Biden administration.
Two federal mineral leases were cancelled
Twin Metals in January
Tuesday afternoon’s statement by the DNR stated that the DNR would close the administrative record and redirect resources to high-priority projects.
The DNR also sent a note outlining the next steps in closing the project contracts.
Twin Metals issued a statement about the cancellation, stating that they will continue to pursue this project.
“Twin Metals Minnesota is currently determining the next steps to further our underground copper, nickel cobalt, and platinum group metals projects,” the statement reads. “A pause in environmental review is necessary and appropriate while our project and mineral rights are being defended in court.
“We are committed to northeast Minnesota communities and to advancing a modern mining facility that will produce the minerals required for combating climate changes, strengthening domestic supply chain chains, and creating American jobs.”
The leases were not canceled the first time. They were first issued in 1966, and then rescinded by the Obama administration in 2016. In 2017, the Trump administration reinstated the leases and renewed them in 2018.
The main issue with the recent cancellation is the final renewal for 2019. The Department of the Interior
January saw the Trump administration violating Bureau of Land Management regulations. Additionally, they failed to provide an adequate analysis of the renewal.
