Mining companies are pushing to develop new and dangerous mines in areas near the precious Boundary Waters -- mines that could pollute the lakes with sulfuric acid.

Take action: Tell the EPA to protect the Boundary Waters for future generations.

The Boundary Waters, Minnesota’s pristine wilderness area, is a national treasure. Every year, more than 250,000 people escape to its remote lakes and forests to canoe, hike, camp, and fish. In 1978 the Boundary Waters area was established as a protected wilderness, but it is not safe from new threats.

A new and  dangerous type of mining that has never been done in Minnesota is being proposed near the Boundary Waters. Sulfide (also called "hard-rock" or "non-ferrous) mining often creates acid mine drainage, and can leak sulfuric acid and heavy metal contaminants into nearby waters.

• States nearby that have allowed sulfide mining are watching as it pollutes their waters with sulfuric acid, making it undrinkable and destroying ecosystems. Cleanup is extremely costly and sometimes impossible, and taxpayers often pay for it.

• The mining companies claim they won’t pollute, and that they have the technology to contain toxics exposed by the mines. But they don’t have the track record to back up these claims. One peer-reviewed study found that in all cases reviewed, mining companies claimed they would not pollute, but they did -- in three out of four cases.

In Minnesota, many of the proposed mines are right on the edge of the Boundary Waters, and alongside precious waters like the South Kiwishiwi and Bald Eagle Lake in the wilderness. If built, they would not only threaten these waters, but the Boundary waters as well. One company is already undertaking exploratory drilling under Birch Lake, whose water runs right back into the wilderness.

We need to make sure the Boundary Waters are protected as a pristine area for generations to come. We’re asking the EPA to block any new mines that could pollute the Boundary Waters, degrade water quality, or exceed water quality standards.