Trump Order Could Boosts Mining Efforts in Minnesota
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump has evoked a Cold-War era law in an effort to expand the production of critical minerals, which could boost the prospects of new copper, nickel and cobalt mines in northern Minnesota.
Citing his authority under the 1950 Defense Production Act, Trump said he wants to reduce U.S. reliance on critical minerals through imports from countries like China.
An executive order Trump signed late Thursday gives his administration emergency powers to prioritize mining on public lands, which could include the Superior National Forest, a watershed for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
“Our national and economic security are now acutely threatened by our reliance upon hostile foreign powers’ mineral production,” Trump’s executive order said. “It is imperative for our national security that the United States take immediate action to facilitate domestic mineral production to the maximum possible extent.”
Trump’s executive order added copper and several other minerals to the nation’s list of critical minerals, which had already included nickel and cobalt.
Taconite is mined in the Superior National Forest, but environmentalists say mining for copper, cobalt, nickel and other metals in the forest would produce tailings that can be dangerous sources of toxic chemicals that would pollute the Rainy River Watershed – and the Boundary Waters.
So, the executive order sparked condemnation from environmentalists in Minnesota.
“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,” said Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters.
Lyons said that “by taking the extreme step of weaponizing Cold War-era powers to prioritize mining on all public lands,” which she said includes federally designated Wilderness Areas, national forests, national parks, and wildlife refuges, “the administration has thoroughly demonstrated its commitment to sacrificing America’s public lands for corporate gain.”
Trump’s new executive order also directs relevant federal agencies, in coordination with the National Energy Dominance Council, to identify and expedite priority mineral production projects that can be “immediately approved” or immediately issued permits.
And the executive order directs Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to, within 10 days, provide a list of all federal lands “known to hold mineral deposits and reserves” and “prioritize mineral production and mining related purposes as the primary land uses in these areas, consistent with applicable law.”
For now, it’s unclear how the new efforts to speed U.S. production of critical minerals will impact several mining operations in Minnesota that have been stalled by Biden administration actions, lawsuits and other obstacles.
Rep. Pete Stauber, R-8th District, who represents the northern Minnesota region in Congress and is an advocate of the efforts to mine copper, nickel and cobalt in Minnesota, hailed President Trump’s actions.
“In addition to prioritizing permitting and regulatory reviews for important critical mineral mining projects across the country, President Trump’s Executive Order directs the Secretary of the Interior to identify federal lands with known mineral deposits and prioritize mineral production as the primary land use on those lands,” Stauber said in an emailed statement. “I’m confident that this directive will put the Duluth Complex and our tremendous mineral wealth in the Superior National Forest at the forefront of these important discussions.”
Stauber also said the executive order “is a great first step to making Minnesota critical mineral dominant, and I think we can expect more exciting developments in the months to come.”
The Biden administration — citing environmental concerns — placed a 20-year moratorium on underground mining in the Superior National Forest. But Trump has vowed to reverse the Superior National Forest moratorium, which he can do under his executive authority.
Twin Metals, which also had critical leases canceled by the Biden administration, had no immediate comment on the executive order, saying it was still studying its possible impact.
Trump’s order could also impact a project called NewRange Copper Nickel, which proposes building a $1 billion open pit mine near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes, but has had its federal permit from the Army Corps of Engineers revoked because of concerns over the mine’s potential impact on a federally protected wetland.
New Range Copper Nickel had no immediate response to the executive order.
Some environmentalists are concerned the Boundary Waters itself, protected from exploitation for decades through federal law, might also be open to mining through the use of Trump’s emergency powers.
But the Trump administration may not have the last word. Although it is taking steps towards facilitating mining of critical minerals, mining in Minnesota is also subject to state environmental rules and permitting.
This article first appeared on MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
