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About three weeks after President Joe Biden’s administration 

 near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it has stopped work on the state's 

environmental review of the proposed Twin Metals mine

In a statement Tuesday the DNR said it will redirect staff resources to other high-priority projects. 

A Twin Metals statement says a pause in the environmental review process is necessary and appropriate as it defends its project and mineral rights in court.

The company says it's spent about $530 million and more than a decade developing plans for an underground mine for copper and other metals near Ely, Minn., just south of the wilderness. The company has said it will challenge the lease cancellation. 

Public fiercely divided

How important is a Twin Metals mine to supply critical minerals?

 on new mining projects in the area, spanning about 350 square miles within the watershed of the Boundary Waters, because of potential environmental damage to the wilderness. 

Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters National Chair Becky Rom also released a statement, calling the decision to suspend the review the right one for Minnesota and the country.  

“A Twin Metals mine next to the Boundary Waters would put at risk the pristine water, unique and fragile ecosystem, and thousands of jobs that depend on a thriving wilderness,” the statement continued.

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Dan Kraker

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The move follows the Biden administration’s recent cancellation of two mineral leases for the project.

State DNR suspends environmental review of controversial Twin Metals mine proposal

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