AP

Twin Metals sues Biden administration to regain mine leases

Aug 22, 2022, 1:20 AM | Updated: 2:45 pm

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2011, file photo, a core sample drilled from underground rock near Ely, Minn...

FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2011, file photo, a core sample drilled from underground rock near Ely, Minn., shows a band of shiny minerals containing copper, nickel and precious metals, center, that Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, hopes to mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. On Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, Twin Metals sued the Biden administration to seek the reinstatement of federal mineral rights leases that are crucial to the $1.7 billion project. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)

(AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The developers of a proposed copper-nickel mine upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota sued the Biden administration Monday to seek the reinstatement of federal mineral rights leases that are crucial to the $1.7 billion project.

Twin Metals Minnesota alleged in its lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, that the Department of the Interior acted illegally earlier this year when it canceled the leases. The company asked the court to declare that those leases remain valid and in force, so that it can proceed with the environmental review and permitting process.

The proposed underground mine, southeast of Ely near Birch Lake, is struggling to survive amid shifting political winds. The Obama administration, in its final weeks, chose not to renew the two leases, which had dated back more than 50 years. The Trump administration reversed that decision and reinstated the leases. But the Biden administration canceled the leases in January after reviving a potential 20-year mining moratorium in that area that the Obama administration tried to launch.

After the change in administrations in 2021, the lawsuit alleges, Interior officials “exacted a tightly coordinated set of unlawful actions” that culminated in the loss of Twin Metals’ leases. “This coordinated campaign constituted nothing less than an unlawful attempt to rewrite the policy choices that Congress has made about the proper balance between environmental concerns and the availability of mining on public lands,” the lawsuit says.

Officials with the Interior Department declined to comment on the lawsuit.

“We are standing up for our right to a fair and consistent environmental review of our proposed mining project,” Dean DeBeltz, Twin Metals’ director of operations, said in a statement. “Our plan is backed by decades of exploration and analysis and is rooted in the most environmentally sophisticated design, which is tailored for our project location and mineral deposit. It deserves a fair evaluation by federal regulators based on its merits.”

The moratorium proposal would “withdraw” 352 square miles (912 square kilometers) within the Rainy River watershed in the Superior National Forest from new mineral leasing for 20 years. That threatens to doom Twin Metals. But it would not affect a separate project, the proposed PolyMet mine near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes, which lies in a different watershed.

The U.S. Forest Service issued a draft environmental assessment in June to lay the foundation for the moratorium, saying it aimed “to prevent further negative environmental impacts from future mining operations.” The public comment period closed Aug. 12. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will make the final decision.

Environmental groups have been fighting Twin Metals for years, saying the risk of acid mine drainage poses an unacceptable threat to the country’s most-visited federally designated wilderness area.

“The Trump administration illegally reinstated these mineral leases,” Chris Knopf, executive director of Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, said in a statement. “After careful consideration of law, policy, and science, the Department of Interior properly prevented this illegal mining operation from going forward. This frivolous lawsuit puts profits over people and threatens the clean water of the Boundary Waters.”

Twin Metals, owned by the Chilean mining company Antofagasta, contends that its underground design and other features would prevent acid formation by limiting the exposure of the sulfide-bearing ore to the effects of air and water. It was in the early stages of of seeking state permits when the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources shut down its own environmental review process in February, citing the company’s loss of its federal leases.

The company and its supporters argue that the project is critical for securing domestic sources of copper, nickel and other minerals needed for the expansion of wind and solar power and electric vehicles. The company says it has already invested more than $550 million in the project over the last 12 years, and that the mine would create more than 750 high-wage mining jobs plus 1,500 spinoff jobs in the region.

A U.S. House committee passed a bill by Democratic U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum last month to permanently ban copper-nickel mining in the same area covered by the proposed moratorium.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Image: A cargo ship is stuck under the part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after ...

Associated Press

Authorities identify 2 bodies recovered at site of Baltimore bridge collapse

A major bridge in Baltimore snapped and collapsed after a container ship rammed into it early Tuesday, and several vehicles fell into the river below.

10 hours ago

Photo: Mountaineer Jim Whittaker has died at 95....

Gene Johnson, The Associated Press

Lou Whittaker, among the most famous American mountaineers, has died at age 95

Lou Whittaker, a legendary American mountaineer who helped lead ascents of Mount Everest, K2 and Denali, has died at age 95.

11 hours ago

File photo: Former Sen. Joe Lieberman speaks in Washington on Jan. 18, 2024....

Associated Press

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, Democrats’ VP pick in 2000, dead at 82

Former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who nearly won the vice presidency on the Democratic ticket with Al Gore in 2000, has died.

11 hours ago

islamic state attack...

Vanessa Gera, The Associated Press

What we know after the Islamic State group claims responsibility for Moscow massacre

The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for an attack on a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed at least 133 people.

4 days ago

Moscow shooting...

The Associated Press

Russia: 60 dead, 145 injured in concert hall raid; Islamic State group claims responsibility

Assailants burst into a concert hall in Moscow on Friday and sprayed the crowd with gunfire, killing over 60 people, injuring more than 100.

6 days ago

Photo: Britain's Kate, Duchess of Cambridge visits 282 (East Ham) Squadron, RAF Air Cadets, Cornwel...

Associated Press

Kate Middleton announces she has cancer, is undergoing chemotherapy

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, says she is undergoing chemotherapy to treat cancer. She has been out of view since Christmas.

6 days ago

Twin Metals sues Biden administration to regain mine leases