Ely,MN--Today Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters Executive Director Tom Landwehr issued the following statement in response to former Secretary Tom Vilsack being nominated to head the US Department of Agriculture.
"Former Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is very familiar with the dangers of sulfideore copper mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters and the risk this type of mining poses to the exceptional economic, ecological, and recreation benefits the Wilderness provides. He is an excellent choice to serve as Agriculture Secretary in the incoming Biden administration."
While Mr. Vilsack was Secretary, the US Forest Service, an agency in the Department of Agriculture, conducted a multi-year study of the risks of this type of mining in this place, and withheld its consent to renewal of Twin Metals mineral leases and applied for a 20-year ban on sulfide-ore copper mining on national forest lands in the watershed. He expounded on the reasoning behind his decision-making in this 2018 commentary piece.