ST. PAUL, MN – The U.S. Forest Service today announced that it is terminating the Environmental Impact Statement process that has been underway for the past year, in relation to public lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The following is a statement from Governor Mark Dayton.
“It's terrible that the Trump Administration is putting the financial interests of the Chilean mining conglomerate, Antofagasta, ahead of protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for generations of Minnesotans and other Americans. The Administration is downgrading its analysis of the impact of copper-nickel mining on the BWCA watershed and, shamefully, exempting from that review, Antofagasta’s proposed underground mine directly adjacent to the iconic wilderness area.
“Incredibly, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management now says that Antofagasta’s leases of federal land are to be automatically renewed, which would mean that the company would control the public's land in perpetuity.
“I urge the Administration to disclose who persuaded it to steamroll responsible review and protection of this priceless natural resource in favor of copper-nickel mining profits.”
