UPDATE November 1: The Friends of the BWCAW shared a post on X that notes a somewhat different version of the Minnesota Department's approval of plans:
hmmm... That contradicts what's on @mndnr's website, where it clearly states: "Not all plans are approved." pic.twitter.com/tVL2ivaQ8m
— Friends of the BWCAW (@FriendsBWCAW) November 1, 2023
[end update]
On October 19, Bluestem republished Becky Rom's commentary from the Minnesota Reformer, End risk of damage to Boundary Waters watershed: permanently ban sulfide-ore mining.
Today, Rom's vision took a hit.
Reporting for the Star Tribune, Chlose Johnson writes in Twin Metals gets OK for exploratory drilling in Boundary Waters watershed:
A subsidiary of Twin Metals will be allowed to drill six exploratory boreholes near and around Birch Lake in St. Louis County — all within the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources approved the drilling plan from Franconia Minerals LLC on Monday. The approval requires the company to avoid clearing plants and disturbing ground outside of an access road, and to take measures to dampen noise from the work. Drilling will be allowed through March 2025.
The letter also notes that Twin Metals has the right to drill two additional boreholes that would not use state minerals, and thus don't require DNR approval.
The drilling plan, which was submitted to DNR in September, is a sign Twin Metals has not given up on developing a Minnesota hardrock mine, even though another project it proposed a few miles to the northeast has been largely blocked by a federal drilling ban.
Kathy Graul, a spokeswoman for Twin Metals, wrote in an email that "we look forward to beginning exploration activity in a safe and environmentally responsible manner over the coming months, with a goal of collecting key data about our critical mineral resources."
Erik Evans, a spokesman for DNR, said in an email that the agency has never denied an exploratory drilling plan for a company that already holds mineral leases. Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness (NMW), an environmental advocacy group, had asked the agency to deny Franconia's request. . . .
By allowing Twin Metal's latest plan when there are still legal questions about siting a mine in this area, "this is shortcutting the process," said Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness.
The group and Twin Metals have both asked for an evidentiary hearing that challenges DNR's potential rule changes — NMW saying it did no go far enough to protect water quality, and Twin Metals arguing it went too far with moves to cut light and noise pollution. The hearing has not yet been scheduled.
I'll keep an eye out.
Photo: Photo by Dave Freeman, courtesy of Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters.
Related posts
- End risk of damage to Boundary Waters watershed: permanently ban sulfide-ore mining
- MN Reformer: Public lands near MN BWCA Waters withdrawn from federal mining leases
- MN Reformer Commentary: Clean water is a winning issue. Why are politicians so against it?
- Interior Secretary Deb Haaland's father had Norwegian-American roots in New London, MN
- MN Reformer: Biden administration cancels mining leases near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters
- Appeals Court says Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness can challenge mine siting rules
- Water is life: Iron Range board legislators table new water system for Fond du Lac band
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