Biden Administration Acts To Protect Boundary Waters, Takes Steps to Block Destructive Mining

Today, the Biden administration took critical steps towards protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness by re-initiating the process for a 20-year mineral withdrawal. The Wilderness Society applauds this decision and celebrates the administration’s commitment to safeguarding America’s most visited Wilderness.  

“With this action, the Biden administration begins to undo one of the most short-sighted environmental rollbacks of the Trump years, reaffirms a commitment to science and honors the promise of public lands,” said Jamie Williams, President of The Wilderness Society. “Today, we celebrate this important action, and look forward to additional steps by the administration and Congress to protect the pristine headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for future generations.”

The proposed mineral withdrawal announced by the administration initiates a 2-year moratorium on mineral leasing and permitting while the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management prepare an Environmental Assessment to evaluate the impacts of sulfide-ore copper mining in the Rainy River Watershed within the Superior National Forest upstream of the Boundary Waters. The assessment could serve as a basis for a 20-year withdrawal that would extend the ban on mineral leasing or permitting. The Trump administration abruptly cancelled an earlier proposed withdrawal 20 months into the 24-month environmental assessment. 

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is especially susceptible to pollutants from acid mine drainage associated with sulfide-ore copper mines, which can contaminate the land surface, soils, and ground and surface water. The pollution from sulfide mining is nearly impossible to contain and can last for hundreds, even thousands of years. For this reason and the Trump Administration’s actions to fast track the Twin Metals mine approval process, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was named one of America’s Most Endangered Rivers by American Rivers in 2021. 

Spanning more than one million acres, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is home to over 250 wildlife species and is the nation’s most visited Wilderness area. It is a powerhouse for the local economy, generating a $77-million outdoor recreation economy which supports more than 17,000 local jobs. Over the past year, the Wilderness area has seen a record number of visitors, canoe sales and campsite reservations - likely a result of increased outdoor enthusiasm spurred by nationwide pandemic-related lockdowns. Additionally, protecting the Boundary Waters is popular among Minnesotans - over 180,000 voiced support for permanent protection of the area to the U.S. Forest Service during the Obama administration’s Environmental Assessment.

Earlier this year, Representative Betty McCollum (D-Minnesota) reintroduced The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act (H.R. 2794), which would permanently withdraw more than 234,000 acres of the Superior National Forest, the same acreage included in the 20-year withdrawal, from new sulfide-ore copper mining leases. Permanently protecting this landscape helps the administration make progress toward the first-ever national conservation goal of protecting 30% of U.S. lands, waters and ocean by 2030, and is critical in preserving the Boundary Waters for present and future generations, sustaining habitat for wildlife, and combating the climate crisis.

CONTACT: 
Jen Parravani, Communications Manager
jen_parravani@tws.org
(202) 601-1931