Antofagasta to appeal U.S. plan to block Twin Metals copper mine
Oct 27 (Reuters) - Antofagasta Plc said on Wednesday it would ask U.S. officials to reconsider a proposed 20-year ban on mining in Minnesota's Boundary Waters region, a plan announced last week https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/blow-twin-metals-us-proposes-mining-ban-boundary-waters-2021-10-20 that would block its Twin Metals copper and nickel project.
It called the moves by U.S. President Joe Biden's administration, which also rejected the Chile-based company's lease applications, politically motivated.
"If we can prove that we can meet or exceed all (environmental) standards in place, we have a right to move this project forward," said Twin Metals chief regulatory officer Julie Padilla,.
Antofagasta will comment on the proposed 20-year ban during a public review period. It is also asking federal regulators to reconsider their rejection of the lease applications, which would give the company exclusive mining rights in the area.
The rejection means it would lose access to an area it has already paid to explore. The government could let another company mine the area in the future, though such a step is improbable. "We've done the work and now they're taking it away," Padilla said.
The Forest Service - the federal agency leading the process - was not immediately available to comment.
The Campaign To Save The Boundary Waters, an environmental group opposed to the Antofagasta project, said the appeal was "unfortunate for Minnesota" and the country.
"It's very clear that the most toxic industry in America has no place next to the Boundary Waters," said Becky Rom, the campaign's national chair.
(Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; editing by Jonathan Oatis and John Stonestreet)
