The St. Louis County Board of Commissioners Tuesday gave final approval to a resolution asking the Trump administration to overturn a late Obama administration ban on copper mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The board already had approved the measure last week on a 4-3 vote, with the same outcome in Tuesday's final version.
The resolution asks the administration to overturn a decision by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to deny Twin Metals access to federal mineral rights on the edge of the BWCAW southeast of Ely.
The federal ban, announced in December, also calls for a timeout for any mining exploration on about 235,000 acres of federal land around the BWCAW until an extensive ecosystem study can be completed.
In other action Tuesday, the board also took final action approving funding for various invasive species projects which had already received preliminary approval last week.
