Wilderness Society sues Trump administration over mine rules

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Wilderness Society is suing the Trump administration to try to force the release of documents on its decision to lift restrictions on mining upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota.

The Trump administration last year canceled a proposed 20-year ban on mining in the Boundary Waters watershed and an associated environmental study that were ordered in the final weeks of the Obama administration. Last month, it renewed the mineral rights leases for the proposed Twin Metals copper-nickel mine near Ely.

The Wilderness Society says in its lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Washington that federal agencies have failed for months to respond to its requests under the Freedom of Information Act for the documents.

The Interior Department says it can’t comment on ongoing litigation.