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Biden admin. cancels leases for copper-nickel mine near Boundary Waters
The Biden Administration on Wednesday canceled two minerals leases for the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota, likely killing a project widely condemned for being too close to the pristine Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The huge underground mine would have tapped major reserves of copper and nickel, minerals key to a low-carbon economy, but also posed serious risks of contaminating the many waters surrounding it with sulfide and toxic heavy metals. Polls showed many Minnesotans did not support creating a heavy industrial operation at a gateway to the country’s most visited wilderness.
The boreal outback covers more than 1 million acres, a maze of lakes and streams and wetlands where motorized boats are not allowed.
The U.S. Department of Interior filed its legal determination Wednesday in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington D.C., where a lawsuit challenging the leases was on appeal. The two minerals leases were essential for Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining giant Antofagasta, to develop the mine — its first major effort outside Chile.
Now, in fairness, these types of mines can be dangerous for real environmental concerns. The DOI could have required the companies to provide safeguards for the environment. The thing is, if Brandon wants to push his electric cars, they require vast amounts of copper and nickel, among other metals. Copper itself has been called the most needed metal for “low carbon” technologies, including aforementioned EVs, along with solar technologies, wind turbines, electricity networks, and bioenergy.
Nickel is likewise huge, especially in terms of lithium batteries. It is highly recyclable.
Apparently, the “low carbon” technologies are just going to magically appear.
