October 21, 2021:  In addition to iron and taconite, Northern Minnesota has deposits of copper, nickel, and other minerals in high demand. One such deposit is in the watershed bordering on the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. At the federal and state levels, policymakers for years have taken varied approaches to balancing the environmental, economic, and cultural values of the area. Now the Biden administration is seeking a mineral withdrawal that will at least delay copper-nickel mining in the Rainy River watershed and perhaps take it off the table for two decades. Read more in Ashley Hackett’s Oct. 21 MinnPost article “The Biden administration’s mining study and the future of Twin Metals, explained” online or as a PDF.  Photo of Rainy River courtesy Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.