Trump administration reversal on mining leases near BWCA is no surprise - Minneapolis Star Tribune

The recent reversal of a last-minute Obama administration move to block a mining project on the edge of northern Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is troubling but should come as a shock to no one.

A year ago, the state’s environmental advocates were hailing a major victory in their efforts to derail a risky new type of mining in Minnesota — copper and nickel extraction, which can discharge polluted water long after mining ends. A high-profile lobbying campaign led by Ely’s politically connected Becky Rom helped convince outgoing Obama officials to reject a Chilean-owned mining company’s routine request to renew two leases on federally owned land near the BWCA.

But what is accomplished via political back channels can just as easily be undone, as the Star Tribune Editorial Board warned in late 2016. The victory for environmentalists set an alarming precedent, injecting political advocacy at another point in the oversight process. That cracked open the door to not only undo the decision, but to allow interference elsewhere in what should be a consistent, data-driven review process.