By John Imsdahl 

     Writer/Reporter 

Amy Klobuchar has officially entered the Minnesota governor’s race, and that is raising serious concerns among those worried about the dangers of copper-nickel mining to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) and surrounding watersheds.  Klobuchar, an obvious safe choice for the DFL to maintain the governor’s office, leaves some concerned that she may not be a safe choice when it comes to mining policy in Minnesota. Should she be elected governor, Klobuchar would hold direct influence over the state’s regulatory bodies that may have final say over whether mining projects move forward in Minnesota, and what direction she would give those agencies is unclear. 

Although she was born in the Minneapolis suburb of Plymouth, far from the Iron Range of Northern Minnesota, Klobuchar often brings up her ties to The Range.  When she announced her candidacy for President in 2019 she proudly proclaimed, “I stand before you as the granddaughter of an iron ore miner.”  As her Senate biography points out in the first paragraph, Klobuchar’s grandfather, Michael Klobuchar, worked in the Zenith mine near Ely, Minnesota, where he rose through the ranks to become a respected mine foreman. Courting Iron Range voters has been an important part of Klobuchar’s electoral strategy.  Over the years, Klobuchar has maintained a presence on The Range, visiting and campaigning there whenever possible, including marching in Ely’s Fourth of July parade. 

Klobuchar has been a consistent supporter of Minnesota’s taconite industry, working with the first Trump administration to support tariffs intended to protect the American steel industry against low-cost Chinese imports.  This history of supporting the mining industry has certainly helped her popularity in the very purple Iron Range.  While mining unions in the north had historically made the region a reliable DFL stronghold – this is widely understood to be where the ‘L’ in DFL originated – that support has waned over the years as Minnesota Democrats have moved left on many social issues that aren’t particularly popular with many conservative-leaning residents of northern Minnesota.   

While Klobuchar’s support of taconite mining is well documented, her views on copper-nickel mining are more closely guarded.  One hint as to what policies Klobuchar might support as governor is the fact that she supported a 2018 amendment to a defense spending bill that would have exchanged federal lands with lands owned by PolyMet Mining.  This would have helped secure permits they were seeking – and still are – to break ground on their mining project just southwest of the BWCAW.   

Klobuchar has often voted in favor of environmental protections while in the U.S. Senate.  In 2024, she voted against H.J. Res. 27, which rolled back provisions of the Clean Water Act.  She has also supported legislation to improve water quality and infrastructure.  Whether this record of supporting clean water legislation in the Senate will translate to support for laws and regulations protecting the BWCAW watershed remains to be seen.  

When asked directly whether she supports copper-nickel mining, Klobuchar responded in 2022 that she wanted to wait for the Forest Service’s study on the potential effects of mining before making a decision.  This is in contrast to her fellow Minnesota Senator Tina Smith, who has openly opposed copper-nickel mining proposals near the BWCAW.  

With the United States House of Representatives voting to pass Congressman Pete Stauber’s Joint Resolution 140, removing protections for the BWCAW watershed put in place by the Biden administration, Klobuchar’s convictions will be forced to be made public once the resolution comes up for a vote in the Senate.   

Klobuchar’s vote will be a harbinger of things to come for the Boundary Waters, and for those who care deeply about it.