Does a copper-nickel mine near Minnesota's Boundary Waters make sense?

This story is a part of a series on potential mining near the Boundary Waters. See more stories here. 

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's ban on mining in and around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is reigniting an ongoing debate.

Advocates say a copper-nickel mine in northern Minnesota is the type of diversification needed to keep the industry alive in the area. Concerned neighbors worry that it could compromise the watershed and tarnish the wilderness area.

Beyond environmental concerns, there is another question some are raising: Does a copper-nickel mine in the area make sense?
A question with little consensus on the Iron Range.

The Voyageur Outward Bound School gets students out into the wilderness. It's served more than 60,000 kids in its 60-year history.

"This location is kind of right on the edge of the Boundary Waters," Tessa Olson with the Voyageur Outward Bound School said. "Our mission is to spark lifelong growth through challenge outside."

Their ideal location is now a worry, they say, because it is near the site of a possible future Twin Metals mine.

"It's a concern for us because the Boundary Waters is our classroom," Olson said.

The students echo common concerns from opponents, including potential water, air and light pollution. Twin Metals says it has plans to mitigate and manage those risks.

Assuming environmental concerns can be addressed, critics also wonder if a project makes sense.

"We should face it that our mining, compared to the ore bodies in Brazil and Russia and wherever, are not competitive," Bob Tammen said.

Tammen, of Soudan, Minnesota, worked in the mining industry for decades. He owns land near the proposed site and is against the idea.

"I talk about the economy a lot with mining because I lived through the boom and the bust," Tammen said.

"We made the news last year because we got idled by Cleveland-Cliffs, and we're still idled to this day," Al King, a laid-off miner, said.

King supports the project. He is one of hundreds of miners on the Iron Range looking for work after a drop in demand closed his taconite mine last year.

"It can be cheaper to import steel and make it instead of buying it from internal sources," King said.

"The economic viability question is a big deal," Julie Klinger said.

Klinger is an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin specializing in critical minerals and rare earth elements. WCCO asked her if it's viable to mine in the Boundary Waters right now.

"At a competitive rate, no. The mining and processing economy is still global. And it's global, in part, because it is cost-competitive for it to be global," Klinger said.

But even if you agree that domestic copper and nickel could strengthen national security or the supply chain, there's no getting around processing and turning the mined minerals into usable material.

"Even if Minnesota extracts copper-nickel concentrates, the U.S. actually has fairly limited capacity to refine them," Klinger said.

"We are incredibly reliant as a nation on other places, and we have been for decades now, reliant on other nations for the minerals that we all use in our everyday lives," Kathy Graul, director of public affairs and communications for Twin Metals, said.

WCCO asked Twin Metals about their processing plan.

"The misinformation that we've heard is that minerals that are developed in Minnesota are going to be shipped directly to China for processing. And that couldn't be further from the truth for us," Graul said. "A mining company doesn't make a business decision around where our mineral concentrates will go for processing until much further along in the permitting process.

WCCO asked what the realistic options are.

"We have a lot of work to do to get back to the point where we can really be a mineral-dominant nation," Graul said.

"Most of the raw material that's mined in North America goes overseas for processing," Klinger said. "China is a really big part of that picture. So, the supply security argument really only holds if new mining operations are paired with parallel investment in domestic midstream infrastructure."

According to Klinger, it could be a situation where the priority is not the most competitive cost, but a more secure domestic supply chain. And with great demand for electronics, renewable energy and defense, things like copper and nickel ultimately need to come from somewhere.

Klinger is actively studying what we already have available above ground and here at home.

"We likely could meet several years of demand for copper and nickel by accessing above-ground sources as an alternative to digging new holes in the ground. Most people concerned with supply chain security aren't even bothering to do the math, so we don't have a complete picture of the alternatives," Klinger said.

All conversations are happening as neighbors ponder the possibility of a mine in the area.

"I think what's at stake is, you know, future generations being able to experience this national treasure," Olson said.

In a statement responding to the governor's ban, Twin Metals says it remains committed "to bringing forward a project that will bring tremendous opportunities for our communities, our state and our nation."