As a lifetime user of the BWCA with over 35 trips. I hope we can see the importance of keeping our clean water and wilderness free of pollution. All 14 copper mines in the US, 100% of leached acid min drainage. This aquatic environment is to wet to try and keep sulfide tailings from staying dry FOREVER, or they react with the water and produce sulfuric acid. The BWCA is the most visited wilderness in the United States and a huge economic engine for the region that can last and produce in perpetuity if protected. If the proposed copper mines do pollute, which history says they will, that will eliminate more outdoor recreation jobs than the mine produced and will put the clean up bill on the tax payer of Minnesota as well as ruin the wildlife.
To me there are way to many cons to make this a safe decision.
The argument that it reduces our foreign reliance for copper is false also because the copper is mined by a chilean company and smelted in China. We don't even charge a hard rock mineral tax like we do on oil and gas production so these companies are taking American resources for free and will leave the clean up bill to the Americans.
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