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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Show of force over mineral withdrawal

Duluth meeting draws 1,300 to weigh in on proposal to prohibit federal mineral leases for 20 years

Marshall Helmberger
Posted 3/22/17

REGIONAL— A meeting in Duluth last Thursday came down to a show of force by both supporters and opponents of a proposal to withdraw 234,000 acres of federal land in the Superior National Forest …

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Show of force over mineral withdrawal

Duluth meeting draws 1,300 to weigh in on proposal to prohibit federal mineral leases for 20 years

Posted

REGIONAL— A meeting in Duluth last Thursday came down to a show of force by both supporters and opponents of a proposal to withdraw 234,000 acres of federal land in the Superior National Forest from the nation’s mineral leasing program for 20 years.

The proposal, made in the waning days of the Obama administration, would seem to have uncertain prospects, at best, under a Trump administration that has clearly placed job creation ahead of environmental protection.

The withdrawal was part of a one-two punch meant to block plans by Twin Metals, a venture led by the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta to construct a massive copper-nickel mine just upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Just days before the withdrawal announcement, the Bureau of Land Management had announced it would not renew two critical mineral leases that were central to the proposed mine. Federal officials said at the time that the proposed mine and the threat of acid rock drainage and other environmental impacts on the edge of the nation’s most popular wilderness area justified extreme caution.

While the withdrawal now seems unlikely to move forward, supporters of the Twin Metals mine weren’t taking any chances. They showed up in force at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center to make their case for allowing Twin Metals to continue their work to advance their mine proposal. About 1,300 people attended Thursday’s meeting, according to the Forest Service and 51 people were able to give their thoughts for up to three minutes. Representatives from the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management were there to hear the public’s input— and they got an earful.

Opponents of the mine, who support the withdrawal, were also on hand and spoke in favor of the withdrawal as well as the two-year study that the agencies are conducting as part of their decision-making process.

Thursday’s meeting won’t be the last time the agencies hear from the public. The Forest Service announced last week that they will be holding other such hearings in the coming weeks, with at least one set to be held on the Iron Range. At the same time, the agencies announced that they were extending the deadline for written comments until Aug. 17.

While last week’s hearing gave the public a chance to weigh in on the divisive subject, perhaps the more important battle is playing out in federal court. That’s where Twin Metals is challenging the BLM’s decision, made last December, to deny renewal of the two federal mineral leases located at the heart of the company’s proposed mining district.