Yes, use facts in BWCA debate

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Our continuing call to stop a copper mine from opening on the edge of Minnesota's beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has put the Star Tribune Editorial Board at odds with U.S. House Rep. Pete Stauber.

The Minnesota Republican is a zealous proponent of the proposed Twin Metals mine. But a Tuesday congressional subcommittee hearing yielded some common ground.

The hearing focused on a bill from Rep. Betty McCollum, a Minnesota Democrat, that would permanently protect the BWCA from copper mining pollution. Unlike PolyMet, another proposed Minnesota copper mine, Twin Metals would operate within the BWCA's fragile watershed. The underground mine, plus its above-ground processing and waste storage operations, would be located alongside a lake with waters flowing into the BWCA.

Stauber, who didn't respond to a request for further comment, predictably led the charge against the bill at the hearing, warning about "disinformation" and opinions wrongly framed as fact. On that last point, the Editorial Board could not agree more. The debate over McCollum's worthy bill should be driven by facts and full context.

Next time, Stauber should follow his own advice. "Opinions framed as fact" at the hearing mostly came from him and the two GOP colleagues who helped carry water for Antofagasta, the Chilean conglomerate controlling Twin Metals.

A cringe-inducing exchange between Rep. Tom Tiffany, R-Wis., and Julia Ruelle, who represented Kids for the Boundary Waters, is a good place to start clarifying. Ruelle testified movingly how BWCA visits helped her battle brain cancer.

Tiffany's response: a bizarre question posing a false either-or scenario. If Ruelle had to pick between producing copper in northern Minnesota or getting it via slave labor in China, he asked, which would she choose?

The Wisconsin congressman was likely less interested in the answer than in trying to make a point about copper's crucial renewable energy role. Yes, copper is vital. But the supply does not come down to Twin Metals vs. China, much less slave labor there.

The U.S. already mines copper domestically, primarily in arid Western states. It produced 1.2 million tons in 2020. The major sources for refined copper imports that year: Chile (59%); Canada (24%) and Mexico (11%), according to federal statistics.

Other context necessitated by Tuesday's hearing:

The McCollum bill still needs a Senate companion. Minnesota's senators, Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, should lead the charge. This week, the senators' offices said they'll wait on further action until completion of a federal environmental assessment — one halted by the Trump administration — of copper mining's risk to the BWCA watershed.

We urge the Biden administration to make those results publicly available as soon as possible to further ensure that facts, not half-truths, inform a debate foundational to Minnesota's future.

Editorial Board members are David Banks, Jill Burcum, Scott Gillespie, Denise Johnson, Patricia Lopez, John Rash and D.J. Tice. Star Tribune Opinion staff members Maggie Kelly and Elena Neuzil also contribute, and Star Tribune Publisher and CEO Michael J. Klingensmith serves as an adviser to the board.