After decades of debate, the House Natural Resources Committee, which is a specialized committee under the House of Representatives, approved H.R. 3195, also called the Superior National Forest Restoration Act. The bill aims to reverse the Biden Administration’s 2023 decision to impose a 20-year ban on mineral leasing. That ban withdrew 225,504 acres of forest, including the BWCAW, from mineral leases.
Bill expedites process
Should it move forward, the legislation would require the USFS to complete the environmental review and speed up project permitting within 18 months of submission. Additionally, the bill blocks any judicial review of prospecting permits within the watersheds of the BWCAW and Voyageurs National Park.
This is a win for Twin Metals Minnesota, which is owned by the Chilean company Antofagasta. They have sought to reinstate two federal leases for copper-nickel mining near the BWCAW. Although the company has not publicly commented, MiningMinnesota, which represents mining interests in the state, told the MinnPost, “the members of Congress who recognize what we’ve long known: Minnesota is home to one of the world’s largest undeveloped mineral resources, including copper, nickel, cobalt, and more.”
Rep. Pete Stauber, who represents the state’s 8th congressional district, submitted the legislation back in January. He has strongly supported copper-nickel mining for years. Stauber said this “big, beautiful bill” would boost the economy, create jobs, and “unleash American energy and mineral dominance.”
If approved, the mine would sit between Ely and Babbitt along Birch Lake Reservoir, roughly five miles from the wilderness boundary. Twin Metals estimates the mine would produce 20,000 tons of ore daily and generate $12 billion in revenue during its first decade. While Minnesota has a long history of taconite mining, this type of copper-nickel mine would be the first of its kind in the state. Industries use these metals in a range of technological applications, including renewable energy systems like solar panels and electronics like computers and phones.
Environmental concerns grow
Opponents argue the mine would pollute waters flowing into the Rainy River watershed. The clean-water advocacy group Save the Boundary Waters warned that the bill is a “reckless giveaway of America’s most iconic public lands — and the Boundary Waters is squarely in the crosshairs. This bill guts vital protections and opens the door to America’s most toxic industry—sulfide-ore copper mining—right on the edge of one of the world’s most pristine freshwater ecosystems.” They added that a foreign mining company and special interest groups would reap most of the benefits.
The USFS-Superior National Forest has also raised concerns about the mine’s long-term environmental impact. In 2014, it formally requested a withdrawal to “protect and preserve the natural and cultural resources” in the Rainy River watershed, which includes the BWCA. The request aimed to shield the area from known and potential environmental harm.
However, with this bill, the agency’s authority would be severely limited because it overrides their legal right to withhold consent for mineral leases in parts of the Superior National Forest.
The legislation will now advance to the U.S. House of Representatives for debate and a vote. If passed, federal approval would clear a major hurdle, but it still has to go through the Senate. In the end, the decision also depends on state-level approval. In Minnesota, the Executive Council, which includes the governor, lieutenant governor, and other officials, must approve all state mineral leases for nonferrous metals like copper and nickel before mining can proceed.
More info:
- U.S. House panel scraps Boundary Waters protection as it works on Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ – MinnPost
- House Natural Resources Committee passes reconciliation bill that dismantles Boundary Waters protections from copper mining – Save the Boundary Waters
- H.R.3195 – Superior National Forest Restoration Act
- Rainy River Withdrawal Environmental Assessment – USFS-Superior National Forest