Minnesota lets public weigh in on adequacy of mining rules

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota regulators are accepting public comments on whether the state’s regulation of nonferrous mining would provide sufficient protection against environmental damage to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The comment period runs through Dec. 8. The Department of Natural Resources has established a dedicated webpage for its court-ordered review, which stems from a lawsuit that seeks to block the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely. At issue is whether the state’s existing rule that governs siting for copper-nickel and other nonferrous metal mines would adequately protect the Boundary Waters “from pollution, impairment, or destruction” from mining upstream.