"A federal study released Thursday determined that hardrock mining in a Minnesota wilderness area would risk contaminating the region.

In its assessment, the U.S. Forest Service said copper-nickel mining would pose a major risk to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. While the assessment is a draft, it proposes a 20-year ban on copper mining on federal lands in the watershed.

Potential fallout from mining in the area includes “the creation of permanently stored waste materials” upstream, which could lead to the release of water with elevated levels of acidity and metal contamination, the assessment states."

Zack Budryk reports for The Hill June 23, 2022. [2]