Antofagasta Filed Lawsuit Over Blocking of Minnesota Copper Mine Operations

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Twin Metals- the subsidiary of leading miner Antofagasta plc has sued the U.S. government over blocking of its operations at the Minnesota copper and nickel mine by the Biden administration.

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The suit claimed that the cancellations of lease in early-2022 by the US Department of Interior were “arbitrary and capricious” and that its subsidiary should have been granted opportunity to prove that the project meets necessary environmental standards. Twin Metals urged the US District Court in Washington to restore the leases, which were initially granted to it way back in 1966 and were illegally cancelled by the government, it said.

Meantime, opponents to the project alleged that the US environmental standards are too lax. Even if the company meets those guidelines, the mine could result in pollution of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness across the border between the US and Canada. The conservation group, The Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters, highlighted the consequences of operating the mine in the water-rich environment and the potential damages it could cause to plants, animals and human beings in the surrounding regions.

Upon realization, the underground mine would turn out to become a major source of copper and nickel in the U.S.