Twin Metals

Twin Metals LLC is seeking approval to create and operate a copper sulfide mine near Ely, Minnesota, on Superior National Forest land. There has been significant opposition to the proposed mine, most notably because of its proximity to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, location within a watershed that drains into the BWCA, and the air, water, light and noise pollution and traffic effects of converting a forested area bordering the BWCA into a substantial industrial mining facility. Twin Metals is a subsidiary of Antofagasta Minerals, itself a subsidiary of the Chilean conglomerate Antofagasta PLC, which is controlled by billionaire Jean-Paul Luksic Fontbona. The original lease is a 1966 lease to the International Nickel Corporation.