FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Libby London (612) 227-8407
June 11, 2025
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Agriculture Secretary Rollins, along with Interior Secretary Burgum, tweeted a declaration of disrespect for the people of Minnesota. The Secretaries announced that they will be overturning the Superior National Forest mineral withdrawal that protects 225,504 in the Boundary Waters Watershed and adjacent to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
In addition to being a horrible decision on the merits, the Secretaries claim to have recently sought and received extensive public input on this issue. This is a shocking claim since no public comments have been gathered by any of the relevant federal agencies and no public meetings have been held since prior to robust public comments collected ahead of the 2023 decision that saw 675,000 Americans comment on copper mining in the headwaters; approximately 98% of those who commented support a copper mining ban.
The people of Minnesota deserve a real process where they can weigh in and be heard by leaders who are ready to hear how vital the Boundary Waters is to our state and our way of life. Public polling shows that Minnesotans overwhelmingly favor protecting the Boundary Waters from this toxic industry. Fabrizio Ward, President Trump’s polling firm, found that 70 percent of Minnesotans want the Boundary Waters protected forever.
Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, stated:
“The announcement by Secretaries Burgum and Rollins is shocking. They claim to have consulted with the people of Minnesota about the Boundary Waters when they clearly have not. We deserve so much better than this, as Minnesotans and as Americans.Someday when they do, in fact, talk to Minnesotans, they’ll hear that handing over the Boundary Waters to a Chilean billionaire so he can send copper ore to China is a truly awful idea.”
Senator Tina Smith had this to say, via social media:
“Not this mine. Not this place. The Boundary Waters are too precious. See you in court.”
Background:
70 percent of Minnesotans support permanent protection of the Boundary Waters. Since 2016, 675,000 Americans have commented on copper mining in the headwaters; approximately 98% of those who commented support a mining ban. 56% of Minnesotans in Minnesota’s Congressional District 8 (Rep. Stauber) oppose copper mining near the Boundary Waters.
The Boundary Waters isn’t just a Minnesota issue—it’s a national one. Millions of people cherish this place, and it supports a thriving, sustainable outdoor economy. Research shows that copper mining here would be a net job killer, threatening up to 22,000 jobs and up to $1.6 billion in annual income. A vast collection of peer-reviewed science shows that if a Twin Metals mine was built along the rivers and streams flowing into the Wilderness, pollution and environmental degradation would be certain. A peer-reviewed independent study from Harvard University shows that protecting the Boundary Waters from proposed sulfide-ore mining would result in dramatically more jobs and more income over a 20-year period.
A 2017 report by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency describes the waters within the mineral withdrawal area as “immaculate." The Report concludes that "the majority of the waterbodies within this watershed had exceptional biological, chemical, and physical characteristics that are worthy of additional protection."