The state says it will do its own environmental impact statement, separate from the federal government, when Twin Metals formally submits its proposal for a copper-nickel mine near Ely, probably in December. D-N-R Commissioner Sarah Strommen says it’s the best way to ensure a credible and transparent environmental review process for Minnesota. She says, “We do have some questions about the path to aligning our processes, in particular given the president’s executive order on environmental review.”
Strommen wouldn’t answer questions about whether the D-N-R believes the Trump administration’s environmental review process is balanced. Environmentalists cried “foul” in May when the administration reinstated mineral-rights leases for the proposed mine, reversing an earlier decision by the Obama administration.