Leaders of the Minnesota environmental protection group Save the Boundary Waters are sounding the alarm over a new executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
The order fast-tracks domestic mining on federal lands, something the group's Executive Director Ingrid Lyons calls dangerous.
"We're talking about landscapes like the Grand Canyon, we're talking about landscapes like Yellowstone," says Lyons. "If mineral deposits are found there, which there are mineral deposits there, this order calls on those landscapes to be prioritized for mineral extraction as opposed to recreation, as opposed to other extractive industries like timber."
Lyons says public lands in northern Minnesota like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park are also at risk of being decimated under the guise of a national emergency.
"What this order is basically saying is, we need to do an assessment of how much critical mineral possibility we have on our public lands, what are the deposits that currently exist, and how can we mine them as fast as possible," Lyons explains.
The intent of the executive order in partly to reduce America's reliance on foreign nations for mineral resources. Minerals covered by the order include critical minerals, uranium, copper, potash, gold, and any other element, compound, or material as determined by the Chair of the NEDC, such as coal.
Minnesota is almost wholly dependent on Canada for potash, a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium, which is essential for plant growth. Those imports are now becoming more expensive due to the Trump Administrations trade war with Canada.
According to the executive order, the president is ordering agencies to compile a list of all mineral production projects that have submitted a plan of operations, permit application, or any other approval request to that agency in order to expedite the review and advancement of those projects in coordination with the National Energy Dominance Council (NEDC).
That would include Minnesota's BWCA, which for years has been targeted for mineral extraction.
Additional mineral production projects will be considered for FAST-41 status to streamline permitting. Along with that, the White House is saying that the order provides for less dependence on "hostile foreign powers for critical minerals."
“Under the guise of national security, the Trump Administration has taken its next step toward dismantling vital protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and its watershed," says Lyons. "By taking the extreme step of weaponizing Cold War-era powers to prioritize mining on all public lands – which includes federally designated Wilderness Areas, national forests, national parks, wildlife refuges, and more – the Administration has thoroughly demonstrated its commitment to sacrificing America’s public lands for corporate gain."
The executive order also enables the Secretary of the Interior to prioritize mineral production activities over other types of activities on Federal lands that hold critical mineral deposits.