An appropriations bill for the Department of the Interior, currently before the U.S. House of Representatives, would the bar any federal money from being spent to enforce the 20-year moratorium on hard-rock mining in 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest. The legislation would also reinstate two mineral leases to Twin Metals, the company that is seeing to open a copper-nickel sulfide mine in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed. The Biden Administration had withdrawn approval of the leases, citing that they did not meet current law but this bill would reverse that decision.
Deputy Secretary for the Department of the Interior, Kate MacGregor, stated:
@Interior is withdrawing the Biden administration’s misinterpretation of the law that was used to cancel leases at the Twin Metals mine. This important first step will unlock significant quantities of important platinum-group metals vital to meeting Energy Dominance goals of @POTUS
Why is permitting this mine an issue? Copper and nickel are bonded to sulfur, forming sulfide minerals. When these sulfides are mined, they are exposed to air and moisture and a chemical reaction occurs that generates sulfuric acid. Sulfuric acid is also known as battery acid and is found in car batteries, among other uses. When mined, sulfuric acid leeches into the surrounding environment, dissolving other rocks and releasing heavy metals such as, arsenic, cadmium, and zinc. The acid and heavy metals seep into streams and lakes, polluting rivers and groundwater for hundreds of years. This form of pollution is called as Acid Mine Drainage (AMD). An example is the Berkley Pit outside Butte Montana, which closed in 1982, but requires a water treatment plant to stop toxins from flowing into the surrounding watershed and will most likely require water treatment for decades or even centuries. This is why metallic sulfide mining has never been permitted in Minnesota.
The impacts of sulfide mining are grave. Walter Mondale said about sulfide mining:
“Sulfide ore mining is dangerous everywhere and most dangerous in wet environments. And the Boundary Waters is nothing if not wet. The consequences of such mining are perpetual. They will surely outlive all of us and will just as surely outlive the mining company’s pledges, promises and sureties.”
Now that the federal government has withdrawn its protections for our watersheds and drinking water, our state government and courts are the only things stopping Twin Metals and the sulfide mining that is certain to destroy the BWCA and all the valuable waters in the Rainy River Watershed. Further, allowing this permit will open the door to the North Met Mining Project (PolyMet) and other mining operations, ultimately placing virtually all waters in northern Minnesota in jeopardy, along with Lake Superior, the other Great Lakes and the Mississippi River. This may sound like hyperbole. I assure you it is not. This will affect the drinking water of over 60 million people.
But will our state government stand up to international mining conglomerates? So far, the Governor and Legislature have consistently acquiesced to the mining companies.
One problem is that our current state laws were designed for iron ore. They need to be updated for the much more hazardous sulfide mining. But the Legislature has refused to update these laws, allowing the possibility of an environmental disaster.
Permits are approved by the state bureaucracy, which reports to the Governor. The mining permit process consists of reviews by agencies suffering from “regulatory capture,“ where the voices of the mining companies drown out the voices of regular people and where agency staff are sympathetic to mining companies. And the Governor has allowed this to happen.
Why is our government even considering allowing something so devastating to our health and our environment? It is a simple answer: Big money. With the question of permitting these mines, we see the influence of big money. Money flowing to campaign coffers. Money flowing through PACs and other groups influencing elections. And money that will never be acknowledged in the light of day. There is a reason that Pew Research found that 80% of Americans fear the influence of “Big Money.“ They should. We see the reason right here with this issue.
The question then becomes what we, as regular citizens, can do to protect ourselves and our health? I suspect some environmental organizations will take the lead in filing lawsuits. So far, their work has saved us. Now, it falls to us to support them by getting active and calling and emailing our legislators. And not buying their excuses. They work for us and are OUR employees. And let the letters to the editor pour in and use whatever social media you can. Yes, our lives are at stake.
