EXPLAINER: Mining in Minnesota

By: Natalie Mazey

Outlets: Minnesota Women's Press

Published: October 6, 2026

Words: 1,589

Last Updated: 1 week, 4 days ago

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Minnesota has mined iron for well over a century, and it is still the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the United States. Now the state is at the center of a bigger question: should it open a second kind of mining, for copper, nickel and other metals, in some of its most water-rich landscapes?

This Explainer is part of a series designed to help people understand how the government — and the …

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