Ecklund talks Cook County HRA funding and Twin Metals lease withdrawal

The 2022 Minnesota legislative session started this week in St. Paul.
 
Minnesota lawmakers are working with a $7.7 billion budget surplus this year. WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs spoke Feb. 3 with District 3A Rep. Rob Ecklund about what a budget surplus, proposed bonding package and other streams of funding could mean for the North Shore and Cook County this year.
 
Also discussed during the WTIP update are Ecklund’s recent comments regarding the mineral lease withdrawal for the Twin Metals proposed copper-nickel mine on the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.   
 
The Biden administration announced last week that it canceled a pair of Twin Metals mineral rights leases for the project. In making the announcement, the U.S. Department of the Interior said it determined that the expired Twin Metals leases were unlawfully reinstated by the Trump administration
 
Ecklund said “the Department of the Interior's decision to unilaterally cancel the Twin Metals leases is extremely disappointing. When someone comes forward with an idea for a project, they have the right to have it reviewed by regulatory experts – not just judged by the current political climate. Twin Metals hasn’t asked for any corners to be cut; they’ve only asked for the opportunity to have the proposal evaluated based on science and the law. This is a lengthy, thorough process – as it should be – and there’s no certainty the project would earn approval. But it’s wrong to slam on the brakes so early on in the process.”
 
Listen to the audio below to hear the full interview.