First, as the editorial demanded, in 2016, the process was followed. At that time, Twin Metals’ mineral leases were up for renewal and, following the renewal process, the U.S. Forest Service reviewed scientific evidence that overwhelmingly showed that a copper-sulfide mine would pose an unacceptable risk to the nearby Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and did not consent to renew the leases.
The Editorial Board clearly did not like the outcome of the process and chose to mischaracterize what happened as though it was a bunch of dreadlocked enviros with granola foaming from their mouths ruining the plans of an innocent Chilean mining company that was just poking around northern Minnesota.
What the Editorial Board did was hide behind a neutral term like “the process” when it seemed evident that the newspaper supports Twin Metals.
To clarify another misunderstanding put forward in the editorial: no one is claiming Twin Metals would set up shop within the Boundary Waters. The danger is that Twin Metals would operate within a few miles of the Boundary Waters and pollution from the mine would flow directly into the wilderness. Federally mandated borders don’t really matter in this situation. Water does not respect buffer zones or lines drawn by survey crews. There are no laws or management plans that would prevent pollution from being carried through millions of acres of interconnected water systems. This is, and has always been, what so many Minnesotans are alarmed by regarding Twin Metals.
Now, the editorial did raise some important points that deserve consideration, namely, that we need the metals PolyMet and Twin Metals will produce.
Do we? Copper consumption in the U.S. has drastically gone down in the past several decades. In 1995, the US consumed about 2.6 million tons of copper. Following a steady downward trend, by 2020, consumption was down to 1.7 million tons, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Not only is consumption going down, but in 2020, the U.S. exported 390,000 tons of copper ore, according to the USGS. As a country, we are using less copper, and much of the copper ore we mine is getting exported to other countries.
The same goes for nickel. Also according to the U.S. Geological Survey, there has been a steady decrease in the amount of nickel the U.S. has consumed over the past five years. In 2020, we exported 13,000 tons of nickel. And the nickel we do use? It’s not going to a green economy. Around 85% of domestic nickel consumption goes to stainless and alloy steel and nickel-containing alloys. Stainless steel for your kitchen.
Finally, the argument that copper-sulfide mining can be done safely here is tired and false. The Environmental Protection Agency has ranked metal mining as the most polluting industry in the U.S. Yet we hear over and over that new technology will make it so that copper-sulfide mining can be safely done next to a fragile, water-rich wilderness. How reassuring! Aside from well-polished talking points, where is the proof? Where has there been a copper-sulfide mine similar in size to Twin Metals or PolyMet that has not polluted? Or is Minnesota just going to be a guinea pig?
That’s why Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness along with other organizations and several dozen legislators are advancing a prove-it-first bill in the Minnesota Legislature. The law would be simple: Before a copper-sulfide mine can be permitted in Minnesota, there must be independent scientific proof that a similar mine has operated for at least 10 years and has been closed for at least 10 years without causing pollution.
Of course, the copper-sulfide mining industry opposes such a measure. It’s easy to craft sweet-sounding promises; it’s much harder to back up those promises and provide proof.
Chris Knopf of North Oaks, Minn., is executive director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness (friends-bwca.org).
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February 13, 2021
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In Response: With consumption of metals going down in US, reject copper mining - Duluth News Tribune
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