Minnesota poll: Broad opposition to new mines near the Boundary Waters

Chloe Johnson, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Oct 15, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — A majority of Minnesotans, including in the northern half of the state, oppose new mines near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, according to results from the latest Minnesota poll.

The new Star Tribune/KARE 11 poll of likely voters showed that 67% statewide would not support new mines generally, while 26% support them.

The poll comes as the prospects for one mine near the protected wilderness hangs in the balance. The Twin Metals project was given a lift this spring by Congress and President Donald Trump, who overturned a mining ban on federal minerals in Superior National Forest, including the mine site.

Twin Metals would extract copper, nickel and platinum-group metals in between Ely and Babbitt. But Gov. Tim Walz then enacted his own ban on mining state minerals in the same area.

Jay Krajic, 67, a Duluth resident who was polled, said he opposes new mines after watching other projects in Idaho, where he previously lived for more than three decades.

“If [mining companies] could prove to the rest of us they could go in and do a good, clean, responsible job on mining, then maybe they would turn the tide on people’s perception of them,” he said.

Walz’ executive order will expire next year, leaving his successor with the question of whether to continue the prohibition on mineral leases.

The Twin Metals project has been controversial because of the risks of mining reactive sulfide ore, which can create toxic drainage, if mishandled. The mine would also be located on the shores of Birch Lake, which is upstream of the BWCAW.

Krajic said he had been to the wilderness, a million-acre area with pristine lakes, streams and wetlands, five times since he moved to Minnesota three years ago.

Proponents of the Twin Metals project counter that it could be a lifeline for the Iron Range, where jobs in taconite mines have been dwindling in recent years. The mine would provide a domestic source of metals used in many modern technologies, such as smartphones and electric vehicles.

After Congress voted to clear the way for the mine on federal lands in the Spring, Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn, wrote on X: “Mining is our past, our present, and our future — and the future looks bright!”

But a majority of people in northern Minnesota remain opposed to potential mines, according to poll results.

In that region, 56% of respondents were opposed to new projects near the Boundary Waters, with 35% in favor.

Karen Drouillad, 66, of Cloquet, was one of those in opposition. She questioned why the mining industry had proposed a project near the preserve.

“We don’t have many pristine areas left, and I don’t understand why we are trying to wreck that,” she said.

The new results represent a statistically significant increase in opposition from the last time the Minnesota Poll asked a similar question, in 2020. But support for the mines has also grown: back then, 60% of respondents statewide opposed new projects near the BWCAW, and 22% supported them.

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