Contact: Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, the Trump Administration moved forward a controversial mining proposal that directly threatens the future of Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor reinstated a legal opinion from the first Trump administration allowing Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of a Chilean mining conglomerate, to renew hardrock mineral leases along the lakes and streams that flow into the iconic Minnesota landmark. That opinion had been reversed under the Biden administration.
Administration officials Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum previously announced that they will start the process of reversing a 20-year moratorium on mining on Superior National Forest land surrounding and within the Boundary Waters’ watershed.
In response, Sierra Club released the following statements:
“The Boundary Waters is one of our nation’s most iconic wilderness areas. This decision by the Trump Administration puts this fragile ecosystem at grave risk of permanent pollution and degradation,” said Jackie Feinberg, Sierra Club’s lands conservation campaign manager. “It is a giveaway to corporate polluters, and Minnesotans will suffer the consequences if it is allowed to move forward.”
“Minnesotans care about each other and our home,” said Margaret Levin, State Director for Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter. “The Boundary Waters must be protected, and we will continue to fight alongside northern Minnesota’s downstream communities, tribal leaders, businesses and concerned residents against the threat of toxic sulfide mining throughout the region.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.