House votes to repeal protections for Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area

the U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday to advance a resolution that would lift a 20-year moratorium on mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). The resolution, introduced by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), passed largely along party lines with a vote of 214-208.

The measure seeks to repeal a 2023 Biden administration order that blocked mining in about 400 square miles of the Superior National Forest to protect the watershed. The push to rescind the ban coincides with efforts by Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Chilean miner Antofagasta Minerals, to develop a copper-nickel mine in the area.

The resolution now goes to the Senate. If approved there, it will go to President Donald Trump, whose administration has expressed support for increasing domestic mineral production.

Economic gains and environmental preservation

The conflict over boundary waters centers on competing beliefs around potential economic and strategic gains versus environmental preservation and procedural integrity. Proponents of the resolution, primarily Republicans and industry advocates, argue that lifting the moratorium is essential for local economic growth and will bring good-paying mining jobs to northeastern Minnesota. Furthermore, they argue that the United States is too dependent on adversary nations such as China and Russia for critical minerals such as copper, nickel and cobalt, and that domestic production is the only way to break that dependence.

However, opponents, including Democrats and conservationists, warn that sulfide ore copper mining carries a high risk of acid mine drainage, which could permanently contaminate the wilderness area’s pristine interconnected waterways. They argue that this pollution would devastate the region’s thriving outdoor recreation economy, which issued nearly 776,000 visitor permits between 2020 and 2024.

BWCA Wilderness is located within the Superior National Forest and it is estimated that BWCA visitors directly spend between $56 and $78 million per year in the three counties surrounding the wilderness area. Photo via @k80.trail

Today, the BWCA is one of the few remaining large-scale functional ecosystems in the contiguous United States, where water quality is exceptionally high and the landscape remains largely undisturbed by modern development. As a designated International Dark Sky Sanctuary, it is removed from industrial noise and light pollution, and supports critical habitat for threatened species such as Canada lynx and moose.

Sulfide ore copper mining poses a fundamentally different environmental challenge than traditional iron ore mining in the region. The process involves extracting minerals from sulfur-containing rocks that, when exposed to air and water, can generate sulfuric acid. Because the BWCA is so interconnected and water flows freely across boundaries, hydrologists warn that it would be nearly impossible to isolate any containment failure.

Critics also question the national security argument, pointing out that foreign-owned subsidiaries like Twin Metals are not legally required to hold minerals in the U.S. Additionally, because the U.S. lacks significant smelting capacity, raw ore would likely still be sent to China for processing, meaning domestic mining would not bypass Chinese supply chains.

How the vote came about

The dispute extends to the legal mechanism used to force the vote. Republicans justify the use of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) by claiming that the Biden administration did not formally notify Congress of the ban in 2023.

Democrats reject this claim (Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) credibly showed a physical copy of the notification letter during the debate) and argue that applying the CRA three years later abuses the standard 60-day period. They fear that blatantly circumventing the CRA sets a dangerous precedent for erasing public lands protections and other congressional decisions every time the party in power changes.

The proposed sulfide ore copper mining introduces the risk of “acid mine drainage,” which is a different toxic byproduct from traditional iron ore mining. Photo via @k80.trail

How to express your opinion

The resolution passed the House, meaning it now goes to the US Senate. If you want to make your voice heard, your two senators are the most important officials you should contact. find them here.

Additionally, bills related to public lands typically go through the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. If your senator sits on this committee, your voice carries additional weight. The list of committee members can be found here.

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