The US Forest Service on Wednesday proposed a 20-year ban on mining in Minnesota border waters, a move that would block Antofagasta Plc's bimetallic copper-nickel project.
The announcement overturned the decision of former President Donald Trump and triggered a review of how mining affects popular outdoor recreation areas. It froze the issuance of new mining leases or permits in the area for two years.
The proposed underground mine will become a major supplier of copper to (EV) electric vehicles in the United States, which use twice as much copper as cars with internal combustion engines.
Environmentalists have long worried that mining will destroy the wilderness of the canoe area in the border waters, a 1m-acre (405000-hectare) reserve on the U.S.-Canada border.
The Forest Service's move is the latest example of President Joe Biden's plan to find metal supplies abroad and focus on processing battery parts at home. The strategy, reported earlier this year, is a move by Biden to strengthen support for environmentalists and break his private commitment to miners during the 2020 presidential campaign to allow more domestic mining.
Bimetal, controlled by Antofagasta in Chile, said it was "deeply disappointed" by the decision and would continue to work on the mine.
"We are trying to determine the best way forward," said Casey Grauer, a bimetal spokesman.
The company's engineers said in a recent interview that they had a plan to avoid mining within 400 feet of the surface, avoid land subsidence and use renewable energy.
The campaign to Save the Border Waters, an environmental group opposed to the project, hailed the decision and said the ban should be permanent.
"Border waters are a paradise for forests and waters. "you can't have America's most toxic industry next to America's most popular wilderness," said Becky Rom (Becky Rom), the campaign's national president.
Wednesday's move effectively revived a process initiated by the administration of former President Barack Obama to stop mining in the area. Trump has shelved the process.
The United States Forest Service is part of the Department of Agriculture and is responsible for controlling the surface land at the site. The United States Land Administration, which is part of the Department of the Interior, controls underground copper deposits and must approve plans for mining.
The Biden administration could ban mining in the area for up to 20 years. Only a congressional bill can stop it permanently, as proposed in a bill introduced this year by Betty McColum, a Minnesota Democrat who represents an area about 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of the mine. The fate of the bill is unclear.
McColum said Wednesday's decision "welcomes a return to science-based decision-making to manage our public land."
Representative Peter Stober (Pete Stauber), Republican of Minnesota, said the decision was based on politics rather than science, undermined national security and helped China, the world's largest consumer of copper.
"I'm angry that my voters in northern Minnesota don't have a chance to mine these minerals through these high-paying jobs," Stobber said. "
