We Stand With Twin Metals

Better In Our Back Yard is extremely disappointed in the Bureau of Land Management’s decision to withdraw Twin Metals’ mineral leases. This action works against the Biden-Harris administration’s renewable energy goals and securing domestic supply chains of critical minerals, while overlooking the fact that we simply cannot build the clean energy infrastructure we need without first sustainably mining critical minerals here at home.

Minnesota has shown time and time again that we can mine responsibly here. With 10+ years of investment in developing a sustainable mine, Twin Metals has proven the project can and will operate under the highest standards. Pulling the mineral leases is a setback that Twin Metals will overcome. Better In Our Back Yard stands firmly behind the company and urges elected officials and the general public to allow the company to continue the process. Our future depends on it.

Congratulations are in order for PolyMet, as the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled favorably on several key issues pertaining to the company’s water discharge permit. As expected, the court ruled the PCA’s decision to issue permits for the NorthMet project was made lawfully and followed procedure every step of the way. PolyMet’s permits demonstrate compliance with all federal, state and tribal water quality standards and should not be subjected to contested-case hearings. Project opponents have gone to great lengths to find procedural inconsistencies. MPCA  will have to conduct a functional-equivalence analysis to meet the new precedent set by the U.S. Supreme Court in the County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund case.

We continue to place our trust in the process, and we echo PolyMet’s confidence in the science behind its plans for protecting the environment through responsible mining. Better In Our Back Yard supports responsible industrial development in Minnesota. The NorthMet project represents a positive step forward toward Minnesota’s sustainability goals. We can only transition to clean energy infrastructure if we can access the copper, nickel, cobalt and other metals found right here in our backyard.