"Proposed Mining Site Threatens America’s Most Popular Wilderness Area"

"On Monday, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton announced strong opposition to a proposed sulfide mine that would result in acid mine drainage and a series of tailing ponds near Minnesota’s highly-visited Boundary Waters Wilderness Area.

Gov. Dayton sent a letter to the company proposing the mine, unequivocally stating his opposition to the proposal for the first time. If approved, the mine would affect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), a 1.1 million acre area in Northeastern Minnesota’s Superior National Forest that connects in the north with the Quetico Provincial Park in Canada. The area is composed of forests and lakes with over 1,200 miles of canoe routes.

“I have grave concerns about the use of state surface lands for mining related activities in close proximity to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW),” Gov. Dayton wrote in his letter to Ian Duckworth, chief operating officer of South-American owned Twin Metals."

Jenny Rowland reports for Climate Progress March 9, 2016.