Biden administration move could block Minnesota copper mine

By STEVE KARNOWSKI
Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Biden administration has dealt a serious blow to the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northeastern Minnesota. The government ordered a study Wednesday that could lead to a 20-year ban on mining upstream from the wilderness. The administration says it has filed an application for a “mineral withdrawal.” It would begin with a comprehensive study of the likely environmental and other impacts of mining if it were permitted upstream from the Boundary Waters. The Obama administration tried to kill the project when it launched a similar process, but the Trump administration reversed that decision.