Twin Metals Submits Formal Plans for Mine Near the Boundary Waters
Minnesota Public Radio
Dan Kraker
The documents, submitted to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, lay out in detail how Twin Metals plans to mine copper, nickel and precious metals deep beneath the Superior National Forest.
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The official project submission triggers the start of the environmental review process, in which state and federal regulators will analyze in detail how the company proposes to mine and how it plans to mitigate its environmental impacts.
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Twin Metals chief regulatory officer Julie Padilla estimates that environmental review and permitting could take five to seven years. The environmental review creates the source documents for the permitting process — the final stage in which state and federal officials decide whether to grant the permits the mine would need to open.