Rep. Pete Stauber reintroduced a bill to restore mineral leases in the Superior National Forest on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The Superior National Forest Restoration Act would overturn the Biden administration’s 2023 withdrawal of mineral leases for more than 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest.
"Thankfully, with Donald Trump back in the White House and Republicans in control of both Chambers of Congress, we are well positioned to reverse the damage done by President Biden and turn Minnesota into a critical mineral powerhouse," Stauber said in a news release.
The Duluth Complex, a geological intrusion within the Forest, contains billions of tons of increasingly more precious metals like copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum, which are anticipated to be in high demand for their use in electric vehicles and battery storage.
Environmental groups like Save the Boundary Waters are steadfastly against advancing mining projects near the pristine Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness.
“Rep. Stauber’s bill is a giveaway of America’s most popular Wilderness Area — the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness — to a foreign mining company,” said Ingrid Lyons, the executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, in a news release.
Chile-based mining company Antofagasta has been part of the last decade’s mineral lease tug-of-war near the Boundary Waters, proposing a sulfide-ore copper mine with the Twin Metals project.
Sulfide-ore copper mining involves using sulfur-based chemicals to extract metals from rock.
This type of mining has never been done in Minnesota and carries environmental risks like increased sulfates in ground and surface water, which is known to be detrimental to wild rice. Environmental groups have also argued there is evidence that "clean" copper-nickel mining has been successful at preventing toxic pollution.
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Contributed/Erin HaefeleWhen the garden or farmers market gives you everything at once, the best way to handle it is to return to the fundamentals: roast, grill, bake, pickle, can, dry, freeze and sauté. These aren’t just methods, they’re survival tools during harvest season. Especially grilling. Because it’s summer. And everything tastes better with a little char and a lot of butter.This week, Amy and Heidi talked to Erin Haefele of Green Scene in Walker, Minnesota, "a charming food haven nestled in the heart of rural northern Minnesota where small-town warmth meets big-city sophistication." Erin inspires us with simple preparations to deliciously fresh garden ingredients. And we hear from Amy's friend Beth Friedrichson from Wisconsin, who gushes about dilly beans and life on the farm with chickens and alpacas.Lots of folks phoned in to talk about their harvests, whether it was peonies in Stillwater, garlic near Detroit Lakes, urban front yard CSAs in Minneapolis, potato varieties in Deer River or stuffed grape leaves in Chicago, you had a story to tell. Share yours! This week's community recipe to cook along with us is Onion Pie: kaxe.org/community-recipe-onion-pie-ham-radio-amy-thielen. Give it a try and send us your reactions and photos at comments@kaxe.org!Ham Radio Features original licensed music — "You Know How I Like It" by Jeremy Messersmith.Made possible by the Minnesota Arts & Culture Heritage Fund. Support KAXE by becoming a member today: https://donate.nprstations.org/kaxe/donate -
Larissa Donovan/KAXEEntrepreneurs shaped downtown more than 100 years ago near the Lake Bemidji waterfront. Members of the Bemidji Heritage Preservation are committed to sharing their stories. -
Contributed/Frazee Hornet Baseball via FacebookRain made for an interesting end to the baseball season for many Class A teams Thursday. Grand Rapids lost in the 3A consolation championship. -
Chelsey Perkins/KAXEThree of the four Republicans voted in favor of rescinding funding already allocated for public media organizations through the CPB and four Democrats voted against.
