FILE - In this Oct. 4, 2011 file photo, a prospecting drill rig bores into the bedrock near Ely, Minn., in search of copper, nickel and precious metals that Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, hopes to mine near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota. The federal Bureau of Land Management has reinstated mineral rights leases for a proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota. The leases cover land in Superior National Forest 9 miles southeast of Ely that encompasses reserves of copper, nickel and precious metals. Environmental groups are fighting the project, fearing mining would spoil the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness. Twin Metals Minnesota plans to submit its underground mine proposal in the coming months. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski,File)
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