Becky Rom and the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters present at The Hague’s 5th Annual Water and Peace Seminar
Becky Rom and the Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters present at The Hague’s 5th Annual Water and Peace Seminar
Thursday, May 4th, 2023
On April 13th, The Campaign to Save the Boundary Waters’ Becky Rom spoke on permanently protecting the Boundary Waters at The Hague’s 5th Annual Water and Peace Seminar. Rom was among a handful of global community leaders chosen to attend, and one of just five Americans chosen to present on water quality in transboundary basins.
In her remarks, she spoke of the premier lakeland Wilderness Areas that we know as the Boundary Waters and the Quetico. 24% of these areas is water, and the MPCA has deemed these waters to be extremely clean and immaculate. The extensive interconnectedness of the Boundary Waters and Quetico means that mining within the Rainy River Watershed could result in pollution going undetected for years and even centuries. Pollution in these waters would likely be impossible to mitigate.
Successful strategies to combat the proposed mining projects within the Rainy River Watershed thus far have included canceling the two existing federal mineral leases in the Rainy River Headwaters, and implementing a 20 year federal mining ban. Going forward, strategies include a state bill that will ban mining of state-owned minerals within the watershed, and changing the nonferrous mining rules in the State of Minnesota so that lands adjacent to the BWCA can not be mined.
Reflecting on the event, Becky said:
“Today, I had the opportunity to meet with diplomats, government and community leaders, and experts from around the world who are working to positively impact water quality at The Hague’s historic ‘Water and Peace Seminar’ event. I am grateful that the Boundary Waters was included today in the list of important water quality issues globally, and I was honored to speak on behalf of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park in Northeastern Minnesota and Quetico Provincial Park in Ontario and share the successes and challenges of our work to permanently protect these pristine wild areas from the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining.”
She continued:
“I was pleased to share our recent success with the global audience in attendance. On January 26, 2023, Interior Deb Haaland’s Public Land Order withdrew 225,504 acres of federal lands and minerals in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters from mining for 20 years. This Public Land Order has removed a dark cloud that has been hanging over our community - our businesses, our families, and Boundary Waters, Voyageurs, and Quetico visitors from across North America - the dark cloud being the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining directly upstream from these Wilderness and Park areas.”
