Senate Votes to Allow Mining Near Boundary Waters Wilderness

Key Points:

• The Senate narrowly voted 50 to 49 to repeal a moratorium on new mining in over 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest, including the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.
• The resolution, already passed by the House, now awaits President Trump's expected signature to become law, allowing mining upstream from the protected wilderness.
• Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Chilean mining company Antofagasta, aims to build a copper and nickel mine near the Boundary Waters, reversing a Biden administration ban on mining there until 2043.
• Environmentalists, Native American tribes, and fishing and hunting groups oppose the mine due to concerns about contamination of lakes and streams with heavy metals and toxic substances, threatening the watershed and traditional livelihoods.
• Senator Martin Heinrich emphasized the importance of preserving the Boundary Waters as public lands for future generations, invoking President Teddy Roosevelt’s conservation legacy during debate.