Minnesota To Do State Review Of Proposed Copper-Nickel Mine

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota officials say they will do a state environmental impact statement for a proposed copper-nickel mine upstream of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The Department of Natural Resources announced the move Friday, saying a credible and neutral assessment of the proposed Twin Metals mine depends upon both state and federal environmental reviews.

Environmentalists have warned that the proposed mine risks catastrophic pollution in the northern Minnesota wilderness area. They were angered when the Trump administration last year canceled a proposed 20-year ban on mining in the BWCA watershed and renewed mineral rights leases for the proposed mine.

Becky Rom, chairwoman of the group Save the Boundary Waters, said the announcement shows the state doesn't trust a federal review. But she said the project should be blocked altogether.

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