Minnesota mining industry leaders are reeling in the aftermath of Governor Tim Walz's executive order banning mining in parts of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and the Rainy River watershed.
"It was out of the blue. We had heard rumblings, but we didn't know, there's a lot of rumors out there in the world," explains Julie Lucas who was born and raised in northern Minnesota.
Lucas now heads up MiningMinnesota, who works with local citizens, businesses and other organizations to bring growth and job creation to the state through what they call responsible development of natural resources.
"It was a gut punch," Lucas describes the order by Walz.
The cherished wild area stretches for about 150 miles in the Superior National Forest along Minnesota’s border with Canada. Thousands of canoeists, kayakers and campers explore the wilderness each year.
"It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine and unharmed," Walz, a Democrat, said.
But Walz's executive order apparently won't last long: Under state law, it would expire by next April, 90 days after he leaves office. The next governor could adopt it.
Lucas says they have watched what she called 'the whiplash' around regulations over the last two decades, with changes to those as some companies were right in the middle of projects. And while there's no shovel-ready project, Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, a subsidiary of Chile-based Antofagasta Minerals, has been seeking to mine for copper, nickel and other precious metals in the national forest since 2019. It insists it can be done so no waste rock is stored above ground, eliminating a potential source of acid.
"Twin Metals alone has spent $700 million to this point, collecting drill core, doing all of this really great geochemistry work," Lucas describes.
She adds the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said in April that the rules are adequate to protect the Boundary Waters.
"This leaves the scientists and engineers in this industry saying, what are we doing? We're doing good work," Lucas explains.
Good work, she says, that's been done by Minnesota companies, and for her it is upsetting.
"It's not the mining of old, and we're not the miners of old, and we don't have regulations of old. So it can be really hard for that not to be acknowledged," Lucas adds.
The canoe area lies within the national forest just downstream from the mine site, raising concerns that digging could cause pollution.
In April, Trump signed a resolution approved by Congress that lifts a 2023 federal moratorium on mining in the forest. He said it would create jobs and boost the mining industry.
Walz’s order says Minnesota regulators will not participate as a cooperating agency in any federal environmental review of nonferrous mining in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed, which is linked to Boundary Waters. The state also will not conduct environmental reviews or permitting work on mining proposals while litigation over state mining regulations is ongoing, the order says.
Walz also wants the Department of Natural Resources to draft legislation prohibiting nonferrous mining in the Rainy River watershed.
Becky Rom, chairperson of the advocacy group Save the Boundary Waters, praised the governor, who did not seek reelection this year.
“The science is clear: copper mining and the Boundary Waters cannot safely coexist. This action helps safeguard the clean water, world-class wilderness, and outdoor economy that generations of Minnesotans cherish,” Rom said.
"It's not the mining of old, we're not the miners of old, and we don't have regulations of old"
"It's not the mining of old, we're not the miners of old, and we don't have regulations of old"
