Release: Boundary Waters Legislation Reintroduced in the 118th Congress

NEWS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

January 31st, 2023

Boundary Waters Legislation Reintroduced in the 118th Congress

Following last week’s 20-year mineral withdrawal announcement, the legislation marks the final step toward permanently protecting the BWCA’s watershed from copper-nickel mining

Today, U.S. House Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) reintroduced The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act in the 118th Congress. This critical legislation was first introduced by a bipartisan group of elected officials in the House of Representatives in January 2020 as H.R. 5598 and then reintroduced in April 2021 as H.R. 2794. 

“We applaud Representative Betty McCollum’s unwavering dedication to achieving permanent protection for the Boundary Waters,” said Lukas Leaf, Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters executive director. “On the heels of the recently announced 20-year mineral withdrawal, this important legislation represents the final step towards ensuring the Boundary Waters is protected in perpetuity from sulfide-ore copper mining for future generations of hunters, anglers, and paddlers. We urge all outdoor enthusiasts from across the country to contact their members of Congress to express support for this critical bill.”

This legislation would ensure permanent protection of the Boundary Waters from any future sulfide-ore copper mining mineral leasing in the Rainy River Watershed of the Superior National Forest while excluding sand, gravel, granite, iron ore, and taconite mining, and also allows for the continued use of the Superior National Forest for ongoing mining and logging operations.  

“The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the watershed that feeds it are national treasures that deserve permanent protection,” said Land Tawney, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers president and CEO. “We are thankful for Congresswoman McCollum introducing legislation to do just that and ask her colleagues to follow suit. Protecting such a special place now and for future generations will ensure that all Americans have the opportunity to experience this unique landscape and that it will continue to provide clean water for so many. Pass this legislation now!” 

In June of 2022, H.R. 2794 passed the House Natural Resources Committee and had a chance to receive a House floor vote at the end of the year. Unfortunately, the bill needed more support to move further in that process. 

Last week, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland cemented historic protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) by signing an order to withdraw approximately 225,504 acres of public land in the Rainy River Watershed of Northeast Minnesota from federal mineral leasing for a period of 20 years. The mineral withdrawal order will ban federal hardrock mineral leasing upstream of the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park.  

With 20-year protections in place thanks to the Department of the Interior’s recent decision, we now have a clear path toward permanent protection in The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act. 

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