Mining in the Superior National Forest
There’s been lots of talk about mining in Minnesota. While it would give the state a huge economic boost how long would it last and at what expense? Here’s what the Sierra Club has to say.
Recently, Minnesota Congressman Chip Cravaack and members of the Minnesota Legislature have begun promoting a land exchange that would remove tens of thousands of acres of Federally-protected land from the Superior National Forest.
If successful, this exchange could allow for thousands of acres of land to become candidate locations for new sulfide mines, perhaps even creating a new "sulfide mining district" in northeastern Minnesota.
The stated reason for the exchange? To generate revenue for Minnesota schools by exchanging National Forest land for school trust land that is held in the Boundary Waters. Future generations are counting on us to provide BOTH a quality education and a natural environment that is as vibrant and healthy as we have today. Sacrificing one of these needs at the expense of the other is unacceptable.