Senate Approves Resolution to Overturn 20-Year Mining Ban in Minnesota's Boundary Waters

The Senate voted 50-49 on Thursday to pass a Congressional Review Act resolution that would terminate the Biden administration’s 20-year mining ban on 225,504 acres in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness near the Canadian border. The resolution, led by Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), had previously passed the House in January and will now be sent to the president’s desk for his signature.

The Boundary Waters are located within the Superior National Forest, which contains reserves of copper, nickel, and cobalt. The Biden administration imposed the mining ban in 2023 to preserve the environment and recreational activities in the area.

Twin Metals, a subsidiary of the Chilean miner Antofagasta, has been trying for years to develop a mining project in the affected area. The administration has sought to expand the domestic critical mineral supply chain to reduce reliance on Chinese minerals.

Republicans have used the Congressional Review Act over the past year to repeal Biden administration policies, noting that the Biden administration initially failed to report the mining restrictions in the Congressional Record.

The Interior Department submitted a public land order to the Congressional Record earlier this year. Democrats argued that the CRA is not intended to overturn public land orders, as it is typically used to overturn agency rules. ” “It would threaten public lands across the country,” the senator said.

“Secretaries of the interior have long had the ability to issue public land orders to reserve federal land for specific uses.