Sept 8 Reuters - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said on Wednesday that he is waiting for a legal opinion before deciding whether to approve Minnesota's Twin Metals mining project, which labor unions support but environmentalists strongly oppose.
We continue to wait for the Department of Interior. They have to issue a legal opinion before we know what direction to take from agriculture department, Vilsack told a White House news conference.
The U.S. Forest Service, part of the Agriculture Department controls the surface land at the site. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, part of the Interior Department, controls underground copper deposits and must approve plans to extract minerals.
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland declined to talk about the project https: www.reuters.com com article Usa-Interior Mining-IdCL 2 N 2 O 51 QZ when asked at a congressional hearing in this year by U.S. Representative Pete Stauber, a Minnesota Republican with a district that includes the mine site.
If constructed, the proposed underground mine would be a major U.S. copper supplier as President Joe Biden aims to build more electric vehicles that use twice as much red metal as those with internal combustion engines Opponents fear the project would permanently drag the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness on the U.S.-Canada border.
Twin Metals has said that the project can be constructed safely and in a way that boosts the region's economy.
President Barack Obama had blocked the Twin Metals project when he served as Agriculture Secretary under Vilsack, only to see that decision reversed by President Donald Trump's administration.
Vilsack said in June: https://www.reuters.com/txt/rklc_civilsack.html com articles Biden Antofagasta - US-USA - Biden-usa - biden-idCAKBN 2 CM 1 WS said that as part of his deliberations he was trying to balance environmental concerns and economic potential.
Twin Metals, regulated by Chile's Antofagasta Plc said in a statement it looks forward to continuing to constructively engage the administration and advance the environmental review of the project. Vilsack has the power to permanently ban mining in the region for 20 years, although a bill introduced by Congress this year could block it permanently.