There is a simple question Minnesotans should be asking about the proposed copper mining near the Boundary Waters: Has this ever been done without pollution — not promised, not modeled, not hoped for, but actually done, when sulfide ore copper mining, by its very chemistry, creates acid when exposed to air and water?
The answer is no.
There is no documented example, in the United States or anywhere in the world, where sulfide ore copper mining has operated without pollution over time.
Related: Save the the most visited wilderness in our country from high-risk mining
This is not a debate about better engineering or stricter regulation. It is about chemistry. When sulfide ore is exposed to air and water, it creates sulfuric acid, which leaches heavy metals into surrounding waterways. This process, acid mine drainage, is well understood and, over time, unavoidable.
Yet the argument is often framed as a choice between environmental protection and economic opportunity. Between so called “tree huggers” and hardworking Minnesotans who need jobs.
That is a false choice.
Love of the Boundary Waters is not partisan. It is shared by hunters, anglers, small-business owners and families across Minnesota. Protecting this rare national treasure of pristine lakes and preserved wilderness should unite us, not divide us. We can support jobs and invest in northern Minnesota without placing one of the most fragile ecosystems in the world at permanent risk.
It is also worth asking who ultimately benefits. Not Minnesota communities in any lasting way. Not the United States.
This project is led by a foreign-owned mining company, and the extracted material is tied to global supply chains that include zero cost smelting agreements with Chinese processors. Much of the long-term value will leave our shores, while the environmental risk remains here, borne by Minnesotans for generations.
That reality should give us pause.
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The Boundary Waters is one of the most pristine freshwater ecosystems in the world. Once damaged, it cannot be restored to what it is today. We are being asked to take a permanent risk for a temporary gain, based on a model that has never been proven safe. That is not a responsible trade.
And the urgency is real. The U.S. House has passed legislation that would strip protections from this region, and the issue now sits before the Senate. The window to act is closing. If something has never been done without harm, anywhere, ever, we should not pretend it will be done safely here.
The Boundary Waters is not the place to run that experiment.
Ward Brehm is a Minnesota-based businessman who has served as chair of the U.S. African Development Foundation under four presidents. He is the author of four books: “Life Through A Different Lens,” “White Man Walking,” “Bigger than Me” and a collection of personal poems, “Whispers in the Stillness.” Now a retired business owner, Brehm is engaged full time in humanitarian efforts.
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