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Action to reverse withdrawal, reinstate leases still faces steep climb
Legislation overturning a mineral withdrawal in northeastern Minnesota and advanced by U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber has cleared a major hurdle in Congress.
Stauber’s Superior National Forest Restoration Act was passed by the U.S. House Tuesday on a 212203 vote, The bill reinstates mineral leases that were held by Twin Metals Minnesota but taken away by the Biden Administration, and also overturns the administration’s move to withdraw 225,000 acres of national forest land from mineral development.
Yet despite this week’s developments, the bill may face a dead-end in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats hold a majority.
The Biden Administration has also voiced its opposition to the bill, which would likely face a presidential veto.
The legislation, which passed almost entirely on party lines, was nonetheless a victory of sorts for copper nickel mining supporters in the region as well as Twin Metals Minnesota, which hopes to develop a precious metals mine near Ely.
“Today’s House passage of my Superior National Forest Restoration Act is great news for our state and nation,” said Staubr, via a news release. “Instead of flat-out rejecting any mining project from developing the Duluth Complex located within the Superior National Forest, it is important to allow project-specific reviews that are based on the facts and science to take place.”
In addition to reinstating Twin Metals’ leases and ending the withdrawal, Stauber’s legislation also limits environment and regulatory review of mine plans of operations within the Superior National Forest to 18 months and blocks judicial review of reissued leases or permits.
Stauber said his bill “will remove the obstacles put in place by the Biden Administration, allowing our skilled miners to prove that they are ready to safely deliver Minnesota’s mineral wealth to the nation using the best environmental and labor standards in the world.”
“ As the demand for minerals continues to skyrocket, we must invest in mineral production here at home rather than continue our dependence on child slave labor and environmentally damaging adversaries overseas,” said Stauber. “I urge Senator Schumer to bring this important job-creating legislation to the Senate Floor immediately.”
Stauber, who is in his fourth term in the U.S. House, has been a persistent advocate for mining in northeastern Minnesota, including proposed Twin Metals Minnesota and NewRange (Poly-Met) copper-nickel projects on the east end of the Iron Range.
Momentum related to copper-nickel mining projects has shifted back and forth over the last decade, based on party control.
The Obama Administration first pulled the Twin Metals leases and sought the withdrawal, but those actions were later overturned by the Trump Administration.
On January 26, 2022, the Biden Administration cancelled two decades-old mineral leases held by a prospective mine operator in the region, Twin Metals Minnesota. A year later, on January 31, 2023, the Biden Administration’s mineral withdrawal of 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest went into effect, blocking development for 20 years.
Proposed copper-nickel mining projects remain the source of contentious debate, with supporters arguing that the projects will bring hundreds of badly-needed, well-paying jobs to the region and bolter the area economy.
Opponents contend the projects are too environmentally risky given the area’s water-rich environment and would do more economic harm than good, ravaging the amenity-based economy and destroying property values.
