FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Libby London (612) 227-8407
May 7, 2025
RELEASE: House Natural Resources Committee passes reconciliation bill that dismantles Boundary Waters protections from copper mining
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Late last night, the House Natural Resources Committee passed its Congressional budget reconciliation bill, which is being called the most “anti-environment bill in American history.” It includes dangerous provisions that include reinstating sulfide-ore copper mining leases next to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, gutting the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and limiting judicial review throughout.
“The House Natural Resources Budget Bill is a reckless giveaway of America’s most iconic public lands — and the Boundary Waters is squarely in the crosshairs. This bill guts vital protections and opens the door to America’s most toxic industry—sulfide-ore copper mining—right on the edge of one of the world’s most pristine freshwater ecosystems. All for the benefit of a foreign mining company and a handful of special interests. We are deeply grateful for Ranking Member Huffman for bringing forward important Boundary Waters amendments and fighting to defend against this bad legislation.
The American people have made themselves clear: across party lines, states, and generations, we want the Boundary Waters protected forever. Our public lands are not for sale. It’s time for Congress to do its job: represent the people, not foreign corporations. Stand up, speak out, and stop this attack on America’s Wilderness,” said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters
Section 80131 of the bill reverses mining prohibitions in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters, including:
- Rescinds Public Land Order 7917, which withdrew from mineral leasing 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest land in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters in Minnesota.
- Reinstates under highly favorable terms previously invalidated mineral leases (Twin Metals), including perpetual rights of renewal, and orders issuance of two additional mineral leases to prospecting permit holders (Twin Metals), including perpetual rights of renewal, with no public process or environmental review.
- Overrides the Forest Service’s statutory right to deny consent to mineral leases in National Forests in Minnesota.
- Prohibits judicial review except for lessees.
Section 80131 is dangerous because it would lead to near-term and permanent damage to the Boundary Waters and lasting harm to the local community and regional economy. It would grant, in perpetuity, rights to mineral leases located adjacent to and immediately upstream of the Boundary Waters to a foreign mining company, Antofagasta. All three would be located on the shores of Birch Lake and/or the South Kawishiwi River, which are on the flowage path directly into the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park. These mines would displace the thriving amenity-based economy of the Boundary Waters region, part of a $13.5 billion outdoor recreation economy in Minnesota.
Background:
Rep. Stauber’s anti-Boundary Waters bill has only gotten worse over time—each new version, from the 118th Congress to the 119th version, to its latest form in the budget reconciliation bill, takes it from bad to worse.
70 percent of Minnesotans support permanent protection for this priceless Wilderness area. 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.
Further, a poll conducted by Change Research of Minnesota midterm voters finds that 7 in 10 (69%) support legislation to permanently protect Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining. The poll of 1,098 2022 Minnesota voters from November 7-10, 2022 found that support for permanent protection ran high across all demographics and every region of the state.
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."
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