Letter: Twin Metals wants to cancel DNR contract after leases revoked

Twin Metals mineral leases near BWCA canceled by Dept. of Interior

The mineral leases for Twin Metals Minnesota in northeast Minnesota have been canceled, the Department of the Interior announced Wednesday.

(FOX 9) - A proposed copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota faces a rocky future after the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the cancellation of two federal mineral leases associated with the proposed Twin Metals Minnesota project.

According to a letter sent from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to Twin Metals, the mining company is looking to cancel a contract with the state. The letter reads: "In light of the development and the impact it has on the viability of the project as proposed… the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has directed its staff to stop work on the environmental review for the proposed Twin Metals project."

As a result of the federal action and its impacts on the project as proposed, Twin Metals has signaled it intends to end its contract with the DNR.

In October 2021, the Biden administration dealt a blow to the proposed Twin Metals mine after ordering a study that could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The U.S. Forest Service filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management for a "mineral withdrawal," which would begin with a two-year comprehensive study of the likely environmental and other impacts of mining if it were permitted in the watershed that flows into the Boundary Waters.

The order, which was issued by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, also prohibits issuing new prospecting permits or leases for mining-related activities in that area.

Previously, the Obama administration tried to block the Twin Metals project by launching a similar mineral withdrawal study in its final weeks, citing the potential threat to the Boundary Waters from acid mine drainage. But the Trump administration canceled that 20 months into the 24-month process and reinstated the project’s federal mineral rights leases, which the Obama administration did not renew.