Senate overturns Boundary Waters protections, a boon for Chilean mining company
Outdoor enthusiasts canoe on many of the hundreds of freshwater lakes that make up the Boundary Waters in Minnesota’s boreal forests.
Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | Getty Images
Senate cancels mine on Thursday moratorium in Minnesota Superior National ForestIt’s a boon for a subsidiary of a Chilean mining company and a bitter loss for environmentalists trying to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The House voted 50-49 to overturn the 20-year safeguard that President Joe Biden introduced in 2023. This paves the way for a long-stalled mining project proposed by Twin Metals Minnesota to restart plans to access vast deposits of copper and other minerals in the Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters. It’s the latest step in a protracted fight between Democratic and Republican administrations over mining in the area that has been going on for years as environmental groups warn the project could pollute the nation’s most visited wilderness.
The mine sought by Twin Metals, a subsidiary of the Chilean mining group AntofagastaIt aims to access copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum buried deep in the Superior National Forest. Although the site itself is outside the Boundary Waters and the company has ignored pollution concerns, opponents say it will inevitably dump toxic chemicals into the Boundary Waters.
“Twin Metals Minnesota is one of several companies focused on responsibly developing minerals in the Duluth Complex, the world’s largest known untapped deposit of copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals,” Twin Metals spokesperson Kathy Graul said in a statement to CNBC. he said. “A significant portion of these resources have been locked up as a result of the mine withdrawal coming into effect in 2023, negatively impacting communities in the Iron Range.”
“The Twin Metals team looks forward to robust discussion and engagement with our communities through future regulatory processes,” Graul added.
Republicans who pushed the resolution praised the outcome. The amendment was pushed under the Congressional Review Act procedure, which allows Congress to roll back new executive rules with a simple majority vote. It was approved by the Parliament in January.
“A great victory was achieved today for America and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District,” said Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn. send to x. “The Senate just passed Biden’s bill to repeal the ban on illegal mining in the Superior National Forest; it now heads to the President’s desk!”
The vote came over the objection of Democrats and two Republicans, Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine, who warned of irreparable harm to the Boundary Waters and unregulated use of the Congressional Review Act that could befall Republicans, now in the majority, if Democrats control the Senate.
The Boundary Waters were established as a federal wilderness area by a 1978 law. Motorized boats and other vehicles are mostly prohibited on about 2,000 lakes spread across 1.1 million acres in northeastern Minnesota, bordering Canada.
A lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Area in Ely, Minnesota. (Photo: Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Salwan Georges | Washington Post | Getty Images
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the vote was a “dark day” and a “stain” on the Senate.
“As someone who is a natural resources trustee and has had to negotiate with copper companies in my own state, I can tell you that this type of copper mining has never been done without contaminating the water. Never, not once,” he said in a floor speech before the vote. “So we’re guaranteed to pollute the Boundary Waters.”
The resolution was also passed without considering the objections of Minnesota’s Senate delegation, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats.
“You can support mining, but that doesn’t mean you support every mine everywhere,” Smith said. “Regardless of the outcome of this afternoon’s vote, we will not stop fighting and will not stop our work to protect the Boundary Waters.”
Actor Nick Offerman hosts a debate at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty Images
The overturning of the mining moratorium also led to significant external pressure, including from actor Nick Offerman.
“Enjoying the Minnesotan wilderness by kayak or other watercraft is one of our nation’s great pastimes, and one I have personally enjoyed my entire life,” Offerman said in a speech. send to x on Wednesday. “We must protect these public lands from greedy capitalists who threaten to turn them into a toxic wasteland.”
Ingrid Lyons, executive director of the advocacy group Save the Boundary Waters, said the vote went against the will of Minnesotans.
“Today is a dark day for America’s most beloved Wilderness, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and a stark wake-up call for public lands across the country,” he said in a statement. “Minnesotans and the American public have spoken loud and clear that this iconic place must be preserved. Today, it has been ignored and, worse, silenced by those who claim to represent them.”
Public lands became a flashpoint during this Congress. Some Republicans tried to sell off large swaths of federal property as part of a tax and spending bill last year; this bill was defeated after resistance from outdoor and hunting groups and stiff opposition from members of the Montana delegation.
The bill now heads to President Donald Trump’s desk. He is expected to sign.
