Twin Metals quietly moves its waste storage closer to the Boundary Waters
Twin Metals, a Minnesota company owned by Chilean mining giant Antofagasta Minerals, is closing in on building its new copper mine. The location: Ely, right next to Minnesota’s treasured stretch of silent lakes and untouched wilderness, the Boundary Waters.
Environmental groups are, frankly, upset. This kind of mining produces sulfide-bearing ore. It’s pretty much harmless if it stays in the ground, but once it comes into contact with air, rain, or snow, whatever runs off becomes toxic sulfuric acid.
Opponents fret the mine could end up contaminating the lakes, the groundwater, and the animals, leaving the Boundary Waters irrevocably damaged.
Antofagasta has experienced a few spills while attempting similar mining operations in Chile—including dumping some 130,000 liters of copper concentrate into the Choapa River in 2009.
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