Trump lifts mining ban near Boundary Waters, enabling permits for Twin Metals

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President Donald Trump has lifted a federal ban on mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, clearing the way for Twin Metals Minnesota LLC to begin applying for permits, an Associated Press report said. The change comes as Twin Metals has long pursued a hard-rock mine in the Superior National Forest near waterways that flow into the canoe area, a National Forest landscape known for its protections and restrictions.

The canoe area lies in the national forest downstream from the mine site, a placement that has long fueled concerns about potential pollution from digging that could contaminate one of the nation’s last largely wild areas. Environmentalists have argued that allowing mining to proceed could weaken safeguards not only in Minnesota but across protected public lands.

Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, which is a subsidiary of Chile-based Antofagasta Minerals, has been looking to dig for copper, nickel and other precious metals in the Superior National Forest since 2019. Biden-era action put those plans on hold: in 2023, the Biden administration imposed a 20-year moratorium on mining in the national forest.

Trump has said he wants to boost domestic energy and mineral production, and congressional Republicans sent him a resolution earlier this month that promised the change would create jobs and reenergize the mining industry in Minnesota’s Iron Range. The president signed that resolution on Monday, according to the AP report. MSI previously reported the Senate passed a resolution aimed at lifting the Boundary Waters mining ban.

In a statement, Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, called the decision “a dark day for America’s most beloved Wilderness area, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and a stark warning call for public lands nationwide.” Lyons added that she said Minnesotans and the American public had been “loud and clear” and that, in her view, they were ignored. Lyons also said the fight would continue.

Twin Metals spokesperson Kathy Graul said in a statement to The Associated Press that lifting the moratorium creates an opportunity to strengthen mineral supply chains. Graul also said the company still must go through a rigorous permitting process that could last years, and that the ability to seek permits does not guarantee approval.

Even with the federal ban lifted, the AP report described the mine’s proposed path as a complex mix of state, federal and private land that creates what it called a regulatory labyrinth. One early hurdle for the company is reestablishing a right to mine after officials in the Department of the Interior terminated Twin Metals’ federal site leases in early 2022. Twin Metals filed a federal lawsuit seeking a declaration that the leases were still valid, but a judge threw out the case in 2023, and the company is appealing.

In addition, Twin Metals would need a mining permit from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources by showing it can prevent water pollution, safely store waste rock, and restore the land after mining ends. The company would also need state water and air permits, and a Minnesota political contest could affect timing and outcomes, the AP report said. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who voted against lifting the moratorium, is seeking the governor’s office in November, and the report said she could be a “serious roadblock” for the project.

The AP report also said environmental groups and tribes could challenge permits in court, potentially delaying the project for years. Friends of the Boundary Waters, for example, said litigation remains “under active consideration.” Canadian officials could also raise concerns about possible cross-border pollution that could violate treaties with the United States, given that the Boundary Waters sits along the boundary between northeastern Minnesota and northwestern Ontario.

The AP report described the area as remaining largely untouched by humans, with logging prohibited, flights over it required to follow minimum altitude limits, and motorized boats limited to certain areas. The U.S. Forest Service issued about 776,000 visitor permits between 2020 and 2024, the report said.