By John Imsdahl

Writer/Reporter

The Minnesota-based nonprofit Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness hosted a public hearing in the Minnesota Senate Building where witnesses testified about the need to protect the Boundary Waters from the risks of toxic copper-nickel sulfide mining.

Copper-nickel sulfide mining is the practice of extracting precious minerals from sulfide ore. There are currently two proposals for copper-nickel mines in northern Minnesota, and recently the United States House of Representatives voted to remove environmental protections enacted by the Biden administration that put a moratorium on this type of mining. While a companion bill in the US Senate has not yet come to a vote, environmental groups, including the Friends of the Boundary Waters, are now pushing for state-level protections to block similar projects.

By the time the meeting had officially started, the room was filled to capacity, with many in the room wearing apparel featuring pro-Boundary Waters and anti-mining slogans. Others were forced to listen to the meeting from a speaker just outside the meeting room.

Over the course of the 90-minute hearing, testimony from legislators, stakeholders, and scientists focused on the risks facing the Boundary Waters if copper-nickel mining is allowed in northern Minnesota.

Senator Jennifer McEwen (08, DFL) was joined by fellow Senators Steve Cwodzinksi (49, DFL) and Mary Kunesh (39, DFL), who delivered an impassioned call to pass “Prove It First” legislation. The proposal would require companies seeking permits to mine in Minnesota to prove that their operations can be conducted safely before receiving approval. McEwen stated that such a bill would not just protect the Boundary Waters, but all water resources statewide.

Following the trio of senators was Dr. Steve Emerman, a consultant who specializes in evaluating the environmental impacts of mining projects. Emerman testified that copper-nickel mines have what he described as a “perfect record” of polluting, arguing that they inevitably cause pollution. He warned that allowing copper-nickel mining in Minnesota would leave a “curse, not a legacy” that would last for generations.

Sean Leary, an environmental consultant and owner of a micro-resort on Birch Lake, near the proposed Twin Metals mine site, warned that a nearby mine would fundamentally alter the area. He stated that thousands of acres of wetlands would be destroyed, and the sound and light pollution from the mine site would diminish the region’s wilderness character.

Additional speakers included Chris Knopf, executive director of the Friends of the Boundary Waters; Aaron Klemz of the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy; Kelly Applegate, Commissioner of Natural Resources for the Mille Lacs band of Ojibwe; Max Kieley, legal director for Friends of the Boundary Waters; Fred Campbell, formerly of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency; and Bob Tammen, former miner from Soudan, Minnesota.

Currently, the Minnesota legislature is considering several bills that would address the issue of copper-nickel mining in Minnesota. HF1197, referred to by Klemz as the “bad actor bill,” would seek to bar companies with a history of environmental or criminal violations from obtaining mining permits.

Meanwhile, the proposed “Prove It First” legislation has yet to make it out of committee – something Friends of the Boundary Waters and their allies are seeking to change.