The Biden administration effectively banned mining across a swath of land in northern Minnesota, putting a roadblock in front of the Twin Metals mining project for at least two decades.
Why it matters: House Republicans are eviscerating the move’s timing because it happened just after Biden struck a deal for minerals from Africa and suggested they’ll zero in on his efforts to support mining overseas.
What’s happening: The Interior Department thrilled environmentalists and indigenous communities by withdrawing roughly 225,000 acres near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from mining practices for 20 years.
Twin Metals sought to use this area for its proposed copper-nickel mine. The company, which sued the Biden administration for canceling its mineral leases, responded by saying in a statement that it is "committed to enforcing" its "rights."
"With an eye toward protecting this special place for future generations, I have made this decision using the best-available science and extensive public input,” Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said in a news release.
What they’re saying: Rep. Pete Stauber — the Republican who represents where Twin Metals would be built — responded by aiming fire at a mineral supply deal Biden inked in December with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia.
"America needs to develop our vast mineral wealth, right here at home, with high-wage, union protected jobs instead of continuing to send American taxpayer dollars to countries like the Congo that use child slave labor," Stauber said in a statement.
The bottom line: Northern Minnesota is especially wet and rich in biodiversity, making it a difficult place to mine, but a ban right now will unquestionably have political costs.
Republicans will say Biden is halting U.S. mining jobs while supporting miners in other countries.
This arrives just as House Republicans plot to throw bombs at Biden’s efforts to finance mines overseas with a State Department-led initiative. Read Jael’s coverage of that program here.
Move over, locavores: A slew of new labels — from "climavore" to "reducetarian" — reflect the trend of people eating with sustainability in mind to reduce their climate "foodprint."
Why it matters: Food manufacturers, restaurants, and supermarkets are racing to cater to the zeal for lower-carbon eating choices, which has people eschewing plastic packaging, ingredients flown in from afar, and foods that are environmentally damaging to produce.
Microsoft has a new business partnership with solar heavyweight Qcells as the tech giant boosts renewables procurement and Qcells expands U.S. manufacturing.
Driving the news: Qcells, which makes panels and other equipment, will work with Microsoft to develop utility-scale solar projects in the U.S.
The recent California flooding and severe weather led to $5 billion to $7 billion in total U.S. economic losses, according to new estimates from Moody’s.
The big picture: The estimates show the wide-ranging impact of the historic weather that crippled California with floods, heavy snow and massive rainfall.
A new pilot initiative is tapping into solar-powered tech as a solution to the water crisis affecting hundreds of thousands of people living in colonias along the U.S. and Mexico border.
Driving the news: SOURCE Global, a public benefit corporation, is partnering up with Texas politicians and nonprofits to provide clean drinking water access to several colonias — unincorporated, low-income communities with limited resources, organizers tell Axios.
A "multi-hazard storm system" that triggered multiple reports of damage from tornadoes and flooding in and near Houston on Tuesday is threatening to unleash further damage across the Gulf Coast.
The latest: Tornado risks remained as more than 15 million people in Gulf Coast areas including Houston, New Orleans and parts of Alabama were under threat from the storm, which was sweeping through Mississippi coastal communities as it pushed northeastward overnight.
