Conservationists react to federal executive order lifting mining restrictions
Some who love the Boundary Waters are fearing the worst after President Donald Trump lifted mining restrictions across the U.S.
Less than 24 hours after President Trump issued an executive order to increase mining across the country, Ingrid Lyons, with the nonprofit Save the Boundary Waters, is fearing the worst.
"This is an attack on all public land in America," said Lyons. "They belong in public hands. Fundamentally, this executive order is taking them our of public hands. They are giving them to corporate interests."
The president's order seeks to up mining of uranium, gold and copper.
Cutting back regulations and paving a fast track to have new projects identified in a months' time, effectively undoing a 20-year protection in the boundary waters signed during the Biden Administration.
"We're very lucky to have what we have in our state and we're grateful that the federal government recognizes the opportunities that we do have," said Mining Minnesota Executive Director Julie Lucas.
However, Lucas says she's not sure how this order will look in Minnesota, but says that any projects will still be vetted and regulated.
"Environmental regulations matter. Our industry doesn't want shortcuts. We want to protect the environment that we work within," said Lucas.
Lyons says her organization is already planning to fight any projects in court.
"This area has been studied so deeply around its potential for copper mining. The results are always unequivocal. This is just the wrong ecosystem, the wrong landscape for this type of mining," said Lyons.
Mr. Trump's order asks for new projects to be identified in ten days. From there, the government plans to spend another ten days picking projects that will be a priority.
