“We are working to determine the best path forward to continue advancing our proposed world-class underground copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals mine,” the company said in a statement. The company in a statement said it is “deeply disappointed” with the Biden administration’s decision to initiate a mineral withdrawal study “yet again” on nearly 230,000 acres of land in northeast Minnesota, which the company said sits atop of the world’s largest known undeveloped copper-nickel deposit. The move is a direct blow to Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, which had proposed to build an underground mine in the same watershed as the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near the state’s border with Canada. Vilsack said he asked the Forest Service to work with the Bureau of Land Management to complete a “careful environmental analysis and engage the public on whether future mining should be authorized on any federal land adjacent to this spectacular and unique wilderness resource.” It is the most visited wilderness area in the nation, according to the agencies, and the only lake-land wilderness in the National Wilderness Preservation System, with more than 1,200 miles of canoe routes and 2,000 designated campsites within its million acres of lakes and forests that extend along the border with Canada and adjacent to Voyageurs National Park. “Today the Biden Administration is taking an important and sensible step to ensure that we have all the science and the public input necessary to make informed decisions about how mining activities may impact this special place.”Īgriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a statement called the Boundary Waters “an irreplaceable natural resource renowned for high quality fishing, wildlife viewing, and recreational opportunities.” “A place like the Boundary Waters should be enjoyed by and protected for everyone, not only today but for future generations,” Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland said in a statement.
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