Senate Votes To Overturn Boundary Waters Protections

Today, the U.S. Senate voted 50 – 49 to pass House Joint Resolution 140 (H.J. Res. 140), which was introduced by Representative Pete Stauber (MN-08) in the House. This comes after the bill’s swift passage in the House of Representatives on January 21st and months of work from Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters and a coalition of conservation organizations to stop this action in its tracks.

When presented with sound facts, scientific data, a well-organized opposition campaign, and direct outreach from constituents on both sides of the aisle, Congress chose to side with private interests by using an obscure congressional loophole rather than upholding the overwhelming will of the American outdoor community.

Hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation groups from across the country, along with hundreds of thousands of constituent emails and phone calls to legislators, have fallen completely flat. This bill flew through the House, passed the Senate, and will be signed by the President, where he’ll almost assuredly tout its importance for critical mineral dominance, knowing full well that the copper-nickel project that this bill allows to move forward, will do little, if anything, to benefit the supposed America First agenda, and risks impairing one of the greatest outdoor treasures on the planet.

“Congress has ignored the will of the people once again. The short-sightedness of this incredibly disappointing decision is staggering. By overturning the mining moratorium in the Rainy River Watershed, our elected officials have put the interests of a few above the benefit of many. including the future generations we are fighting for,” said Lukas Leaf, executive director of Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. “Paving the way for the Twin Metals mine does little, if anything, to satisfy the America First agenda, and is a direct assault on our outdoor heritage and public lands nationwide. When will we realize that we simply cannot just create more of these critical landscapes? Our collective legacy, our responsibility, is to leave behind protected places like the Boundary Waters, not to bend the knee to a foreign mining company for short-term gain. This battle is far from over, and our resolve is stronger than ever.” 

This legislation paves the way for the administration to return leases to Twin Metals by removing the 20-year federal moratorium (PLO 7917) on mining in the Rainy River Watershed, using the Congressional Review Act (CRA). Using the CRA to undo a public land order or withdrawal has never been used in this manner and now sets a dangerous precedent for unraveling existing public land protections around the country with a simple majority and no public comment.

“This wasn’t just about the Boundary Waters. The passage of this bill is a testament to the current state of our elected officials and their opinion of the American voter, taxpayer, and, in particular, public land users, said Matthew Schultz, program manager of Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters. “Throughout this entire process, the level of misinformation from proponents of the bill has been staggering. The simple fact of the matter is that the Boundary Waters now has one less layer of protection, and, with the sense of victory fresh on their minds, Congress can do the same on a tract of land near you. The United States is unequivocally worse off today than it was yesterday.” 

This vote underscores how desperate this administration is to find any way to open our public lands to business. Essentially, if Congress can use a CRA to unravel this mineral withdrawal, there may be no limit to what else they can overturn.

Though proponents of the resolution claim this mine will decrease the United States’ reliance on foreign nations for critical minerals, the reality is that Twin Metals is owned by a Chilean company that will ship the minerals to China for processing, where they will likely be made available on the open market, not contributing to the so-called need for domestic critical mineral dominance.

Taking these actions to allow this mine to move forward blatantly contradicts the America First approach and underscores this administration’s foolhardy agenda to remove protections for our public lands and waters across the country, and for future generations.

The fight continues! Shovels are far from the ground, and we will continue the work to protect the Boundary Waters. We are proud to stand with you, and they just kicked the hornet’s nest.

Call your Senators now and let them know how you feel about this vote! (202) 224-3121

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