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Protect the Boundary Waters from Toxic Sulfide Mining!
You made the difference! Together, we beat back attempts to put anti-BWCA provisions in the Budget Bill. However, for conservationists, all victories are temporary and all defeats are permanent.
We must stay vigilant.
Legislation proposed by Rep. Pete Stauber (H.R.978) would give our public lands to the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta for toxic copper-sulfide mining, remove protections from sulfide mining on federal lands, and prevent courts from reviewing these devastating acts. This dangerous legislation is anti-BWCA and un-American.
We must continue our fight for the Boundary Waters. Contact Congress today and demand that they stand up for the Boundary Waters and stop any attempts to dig toxic copper-sulfide mines near the Boundary Waters.
Copper-sulfide mining poses an unacceptable risk to the Boundary Waters — America’s most visited wilderness.
Rep. Betty McCollum’s bill (H.R. 588) and Sen Tina Smith’s bill (S. 1366) would permanently protect the more than 225,000 acres of public land next to the Boundary Waters for future generations.
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Let’s Update Minnesota’s Environmental Laws
The two proposed copper-sulfide mines, PolyMet-NewRange and Twin Metals, have been at the center of one of the largest and longest environmental controversies in Minnesota’s state’s history.
The permitting process for PolyMet-NewRange began almost two decades ago. In that time, many flaws and weaknesses in the state’s laws and permitting process have come to light. In short, Minnesota’s environmental laws are outdated and inadequate.
In addition to the Prove It First Bill, Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness has drafted a suite of laws designed to update our laws and allow agencies to better serve Minnesotans and the water and wilderness we’re so famous for.
Petition: Prove it First Legislation in Minnesota
The proposed Prove-It-First law for Minnesota is straightforward and has common-sense appeal. We know the record of copper-sulfide mining. We have heard the industry’s empty promises. Minnesota is not a guinea pig. Before a shovel touches the ground, we need proof that it will not pollute.
Taxpayer Protection Act
Copper-sulfide mining has a terrible history of pollution around the world. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s current financial assurance requirements, the amount of money a mining company must put up as insurance, are woefully inadequate to protect against, or clean up after, an environmental disaster.
As evidenced by the $7 billion settlement Vale mining company paid to the country of Brazil after just such a disaster, the clean-up costs for mining disasters can be astronomical.
The Taxpayer Protection Act would require nonferrous mining companies to fully fund any financial assurance package upfront and in cash. This would ensure Minnesota’s taxpayers are not left on the hook for potential multi-billion-dollar clean-up costs from a devastating environmental catastrophe.
The Bad Actor Bill
In addition to being the most polluting industry in America by chemical releases, the copper-sulfide mining industry is home to some of the world’s most notorious corporate bad actors. Antofagasta, the owner of the now-canceled Twin Metals mine, has polluted its home country of Chile multiple times, has a history of bribery at home, and has shown its willingness to overlook ethical considerations in the United States and use its considerable financial resources to lobby for its proposed projects.
Glencore, owner of the proposed PolyMet mine, has an even worse history, if that is possible. Named one of the worst companies to work for by the United Steelworkers, Glencore has a history of pollution, corruption, and human rights violations – including child labor – around the world. Glencore’s own Sustainability Reports show the company paid over $10 million in environmental fines in the last decade alone. Finally, in 2017, Glencore received a state medal from Vladimir Putin for its “contribution to strengthening cooperation with Russia.”