McCollum Proposed Permanent Mining Ban Near Boundary Waters

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)  -- Copper-nickel mining would be permanently banned upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness under a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum.

The Minnesota Democrat said at a news conference in Washington that the bill would protect over 234,000 acres within the Superior National Forest outside the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel mining.

The land includes the site of the proposed Twin Metals mine near Ely. Twin Metals calls the bill an attempt to bypass the rigorous environmental review process. It says a permanent ban ``would be catastrophic for the economic future'' of Minnesota.