Biden blocked plans for a major copper, nickel, and cobalt mine in Minnesota that could have helped supply minerals for “net-zero” plans.
Biden Admin Bans New Mineral Development
Biden’s Department of the Interior blocked the nearly $3 billion mine, overstated concerns about the safety of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness inside the national forest.
Biden withdrew some 225,000 acres of national forest land in northern Minnesota from mineral leasing, protecting a swath of the watershed that adjoins the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The decision follows a 16-month review on whether the minerals lying under Superior National Forest should be open to extraction. The Department of Interior concluded the land should be protected for 20 years, the maximum possible, without congressional approval.
“Protecting a place like Boundary Waters is key to supporting the health of the watershed and its surrounding wildlife, upholding our Tribal trust and treaty responsibilities, and boosting the local recreation economy,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a statement Thursday.
Not Everyone is Happy About the Ban
The order, which Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed Thursday morning, delivers a potentially fatal blow to Chilean mining giant Antofagasta’s plans for a $1.7 billion underground copper-nickel mine on the doorstep of the 1.09 million-acre Boundary Waters, one of the most visited wilderness areas in the country.
“If Democrats were serious about developing renewable energy sources and breaking China’s stranglehold on the global market, they would be flinging open the doors to responsible mineral development here in the U.S.,” Chairman Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said in a statement.
“We cannot have a future of renewable energy without minerals, period — not to mention their necessity to our defense systems, satellites, cellphones, and virtually every other advanced technology. While Democrats play political ping pong with American industries, China and Russia are laughing straight to the bank.”
Plans for Mining Haulted
There are no active mineral leases on the Minnesota land that was withdrawn from mining, but the long-planned Twin Metals mine was slated for the area, near Ely.
Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining giant Antofagasta, lost its mineral leases when the Biden administration canceled them at the beginning of 2022. The company sued the federal government later in the year to have them restored.
The suit is pending in federal court.
Kathy Graul, a spokeswoman for Twin Metals, wrote in an email that the company was “deeply disappointed and stunned” by the new moratorium.
“This region sits on top of one of the world’s largest deposits of critical minerals that are vital in meeting our nation’s goals to transition to a clean energy future, to create American jobs, to strengthen our national security and to bolster domestic supply chains,” Graul wrote. “We believe our project plays a critical role in addressing all of these priorities, and we remain committed to enforcing Twin Metals’ rights.”
Further Reading:
Explosive: Nancy Pelosi’s Son Attended High-Profile Meetings In Taiwan!
Why Everyone Should Know About The CHIPS Act
Get the news you need at It’s On News.
If we don’t get this traitor out of office immediately, he is going to sell America to China. Look at that spy balloon from China and he says to leave it alone. Of course that is what he is going to say until they get all of the information from those sensitive sites that they need to take over America. Get Biden and his administration out of office and arrested NOW!
Joe Jinping is doing everything asked of him.
THE NEW COMMUNIST PARTY IUS IN CHARGE THANKS TO AN ILLEGAL ELECTION AND 1/3 OF THE DEMONCRAT VOTERS WHO HAVE NO BRAINS ! WELCOME TO COMMUNISM AND DIGITAL CURRENCY RUN BY THE FEDERAL RESERVE,THE DEATH NELL OF AMERICA THE CONSTITUTION AND BILL OF RIGHTS ! VIETNAM VET 67-68
[…] Biden Blocks Access to Powerful US Resources […]