U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer pitches new pro-mining legislation

St. Cloud Times

In an undated file photo, a moose wades in a small pond in Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

WASHINGTON D.C. — Twin Metals Minnesota could get its mineral licenses back and resume exploration in the Superior National Forest if a new bill from U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer becomes law.

The Republican lawmaker's proposal would give Congress the authority to approve mineral withdrawals in Minnesota's national forest land — a task currently under the U.S. Forest Service's purview. The bill also gives Congress, rather than the president, authority to designate national monuments on federal forest land in Minnesota.

Emmer says his bill, called the MINER Act, promotes economic development in Minnesota. But some conservation groups oppose the effort and say future mines put the Boundary Waters at risk. Emmer's proposal is a direct response to moves by President Barack Obama's administration at the end of the former president's term.

"They took away our ability to explore whether you can mine," Emmer said.

Last December the chief of the U.S. Forest Service refused to renew mining leases for Twin Metals. Federal offices launched an environmental study and set a two-year moratorium on mining exploration here.

Emmer is addressing the issue through parallel tracks. He's talking with President Donald Trump's administration, which will appoint a new solicitor for the Department of the Interior and could roll back decisions made at the end of Obama's term.

"In the meantime, I'm going to keep pushing this legislation," Emmer said. He represents Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.

He introduced the bill on Monday and it was sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources. Now it's headed to a subcommittee. Two other congressmen from Minnesota signed on as cosponsors: DFL Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota's District 7 and Republican Rep. Jason Lewis of District 2.

Conservation group Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters is against the legislation, because mining in the national forest could pollute the watershed that feeds the Boundary Waters, said Alex Falconer, state director of the organization. "These mines always pollute."

Twin Metals is pursuing an underground copper, nickel, platinum, palladium, gold and silver mining project, nine miles southeast of Ely. It's a subsidiary of Santiago, Chile, copper-producer Antofagasta.

Falconer sees Emmer as part of a group in Congress that strives to erode federal protections of public lands.

"(His bill) undercuts a lot of bedrock conservation laws," Falconer said. "It's going against a century of protections."

Falconer's talking about the 1906 Antiquities Act, which gives U.S. presidents authority to name national monuments.

"I'm not interested in rolling anything back," Emmer said. "There's no proposal for a 'sulfide mine.'"

Twin Metals has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to explore northeastern Minnesota for mining potential, but there's no mine proposal, Emmer said.

A mine could bring good, well-paying jobs. But first the mining company will have to meet local, state and federal requirements and prove it wouldn't harm Minnesota's air and water, Emmer said.

His bill heads now to the Energy and Mineral Subcommittee.

Nora G. Hertel: 320-255-8746 and on Twitter @nghertel.