Counterpoint: We aren’t doing the Earth any favors by saying ‘no’ to mining

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I’ve lived in northeastern Minnesota my entire life and yet, to this day, my breath is still regularly taken away by a stunning sunset over a lake or the silence that follows a fresh fallen snow in the woods. Like Jill Burcum recently described in her column regarding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) (”Our stewardship obligations still require a no on this mine, this location,” Strib Voices, Nov. 24), I too, draw deep inspiration from the natural resources we are blessed with in Minnesota. This is why I’ve devoted my career to ensuring these resources are fiercely protected.

However, we aren’t doing the Earth any favors by declaring a definitive “no” against potential mining projects instead of asking “how?” and “by whom?” and “why?”

Minnesota happens to sit on top of one of the most significant undeveloped deposits of copper, nickel, cobalt and other minerals on the globe. Many of my fellow Minnesotans who I am fortunate to call friends are working to find the best solutions to safely mine these resources while protecting the environment.

Miners don’t do the work of developing a project in a vacuum, though. Proposing a mine and answering the questions of how it will be done and by whom and why involves engagement among a wide range of stakeholders: state, federal and tribal governments, community members, labor unions, regulators, scientific experts and more.

Burcum has continued suggest Minnesota should simply say no to certain mining projects rather than giving these stakeholders a voice and opportunity to participate in the process of reviewing a proposal to determine if it can move forward.

When we refuse to seek any solutions in good faith and focus only on seeking problems; when we refuse to recognize how mining has evolved; and when we refuse to admit our role in creating the demand as consumers and therefore, admit our responsibilities, we do the Earth no favors.

When we engage solely in an effort to block, delay and divert sourcing of minerals to “somewhere else” mined by “someone else,” we are ignoring and outsourcing the needed conversation.

Politicizing the issue isn’t doing anything for the Earth, either. The fact is, we all depend on mining for everything from our smartphones to medical technologies to the roads we drive on and the homes we live in.

Burcum points out that we need a lot more mining to transition to clean energy technologies.

She’s right. The World Bank estimates that mineral production needs to increase by 500% by 2050 to meet the needs of the energy transition. Mining is fundamental to our lives today and more important than ever for our future.

Protecting our environment shouldn’t be a partisan issue, either. The importance of protecting water goes beyond Minnesota’s borders. Every mineral we use comes from a watershed valued by someone. True social justice requires consumers to consider everyone’s watersheds, not just their own. Closer to home, we know all of Minnesota’s natural resources deserve protection. One of the solutions to protecting those resources — critical minerals that can build a cleaner future — happens to be located in northern Minnesota, and we should embrace that opportunity and find ways to utilize those resources while protecting our water, air and land.

Minnesota is one of the best places to mine on the planet, not only because we have the minerals here, but also because our environmental and labor standards are thoughtful and just.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources declared last year that the state’s water regulations are stringent enough to protect the BWCA in response to a lawsuit brought against the agency by Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness. Those regulations include a “non-detect” standard, meaning no amount of pollution is allowed. If a mining company cannot prove it can meet that standard, it will not earn permits to build a mine.

Let’s allow regulators to do the important work of upholding these standards. Let’s also give communities and stakeholders the opportunity to discuss mining projects.

Let’s approach these issues not with folded arms but rather with openness and a goal of finding solutions. Let’s not be afraid to challenge ourselves to be open to a conversation that includes both the need for our energy transition and the role Minnesota should play to make this happen.

Julie Lucas is the executive director of MiningMinnesota.