The resolution to reverse the 20-year ban on mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is expected to reach the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate any day now. 

That means it’s crunch time. 

We have expanded our call to action beyond Minnesota with the help of Trout Unlimited national and those of you with out-of-state family and friends who care about this issue. Urge them to contact their senators and ask them to oppose House Joint Resolution 140, especially if they live in Alaska, Pennsylvania, Maine, North Carolina, South Carolina or Wisconsin.

Our Minnesota senators are already on board to vote “no” against this resolution that would begin to clear the path for toxic copper-nickel sulfide mining within the watershed of the Boundary Waters.

For years, Twin Metals, owned by the Chilean company Antofagasta, has sought to build an underground mine for copper and nickel next to Birch Lake, which flows into the Boundary Waters – home to our native lake trout. 

If the resolution passes the Senate and is signed by the president, it would allow the current administration to return two mineral leases to Twin Metals.

Copper-nickel sulfide mining has never been done in Minnesota. Elsewhere in the world, every sulfide mine has led to polluted water.

This resolution – introduced by Rep. Pete Stauber under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) – sets a dangerous precedent for the protection of public lands. Not only would it reverse the 2023 Public Land Order that withdrew more than 225,000 acres of Superior National Forest from mineral and geothermal leasing, it would prevent all future administrations from restoring the protection. It could also be used to reverse other land protections in storied trout watersheds across the country.

While we do not know the exact date when the vote will occur, we do know it will this week or next.

Use the Senate directory to help your friends and family in other states find their senators. 

Or call the U.S. Senate Switchboard at 202-224-3121 to connect directly to any senator’s office.