Mining supporters sue Dayton over Twin Metals land access - Minneapolis Star Tribune

A pro-mining group in Ely said Tuesday it has refiled a lawsuit against Gov. Mark Dayton over access to state lands for copper-nickel exploration.

The group, Up North Jobs, argued that Dayton's 2016 decision to halt exploration on state-owned lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) violated state law and deprived the area of economic development and jobs. Its original lawsuit on the matter, filed last March, was reportedly withdrawn because the group could not find adequate legal representation.

The group has also written to federal officials and members of Minnesota's congressional delegation asking for a moratorium on an environmental review of mining in the Rainy River Watershed, which includes the BWCA and Voyageur's National Park. The two-year review by the U.S. Forest Service, launched under the Obama administration, would determine whether mining is an appropriate use of federal lands on the edge of an ecologically sensitive wilderness.