By: John Imsdahl, Writer/Reporter

In recent weeks, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources granted Franconia Minerals Corporation a permit to continue exploratory drilling on state land adjacent to Birch Lake, just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The permit would allow Franconia Minerals (a subsidiary company of Twin Metals Minnesota) to drill at up to nineteen sites for a period of two years.

The exploratory drilling phase is a mid- to late-stage phase of the mineral exploration process  as outlined by the MN DNR. The exploration phase can last anywhere from one to ten years  and precedes the decision-making step in the process. For a mining project to proceed past  the exploration stage, the mining company would need to provide evidence that there are  economically viable mineral deposits worth extracting. 

The drilling process itself involves drilling core samples from hundreds of feet below the  surface, which are then studied to determine what valuable minerals, if any, exist in the rock.  This process is often repeated multiple times to get an accurate mapping of the mineral  deposits for planning purposes.  

While the exploratory drilling permit is not a definitive sign that a mine will be approved, it is a  crucial step towards that outcome, one which is being heavily opposed by many environmental  advocacy organizations across the state. One such organization is Friends of the Boundary  Waters Wilderness, which calls copper-nickel mining a “toxic industry.” JT Haines, the  Northeastern Minnesota Program Director for the Duluth Office of the Minnesota Center for  Environmental Advocacy, warned that “…this type of mining is so toxic that it’s never been  done anywhere without contaminating nearby water sources…”  

This is especially concerning to environmental advocates due to the proximity of this mine to  the BWCAW. Birch Lake, located just south of Ely, is a large lake whose watershed flows  directly into the Boundary Waters. In 2024 Birch Lake was added by the Minnesota Pollution  Control Agency to their impaired waters list due to sulfate pollution likely from the nearby site  of a former taconite mine. The impaired waters list was created by the MPCA as a way to  monitor waters that have exceeded the maximum allowed amounts of various pollutants, in this  case sulfate.  

While the future of the proposed copper-nickel mine projects is yet to be determined, this new  permit is still a win for the mining industry and its supporters, after years of setbacks at the  state and federal level. It is also sure to galvanize environmental advocates ahead of the  upcoming legislative schedule.