US Senate repeals Biden-era ban on mining near Minnesota wilderness area | US Senate

The U.S. Senate narrowly voted Thursday to overturn a ban on mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area, a massive complex of interconnected lakes, rivers and forests that is among the most visited wilderness areas in the United States.

The resolution passed 50-49 to repeal a 20-year moratorium imposed by Joe Biden’s administration in 2023 on mining in the 225,000 acres (91,000 hectares) of the Superior National Forest.

The House had already approved the measure, and it will now head to Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it.

The vote marks a victory for Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Chilean mining giant Antofagasta PLC, which is seeking to build a copper and nickel mine a few miles from Boundary Waters. For years, environmental and conservation groups have opposed mining in the region, warning that it could contaminate and pollute the surrounding waters.

Before the Senate vote Thursday, Tina Smith, a Democratic senator from Minnesota, spoke against the resolution, arguing that it would “greenlight the exposure of this national treasure to the highly toxic and destructive impacts of sulfide or copper mining.”

She also argued that the measure was “the opposite of ‘America First,'” adding that “the mining company in question is foreign-owned, will use Chinese state-owned smelters, and will then sell the mined metals on the open market.”

Two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, joined Democrats in voting against the measure. Josh Hawley, a Republican senator from Missouri, did not vote, according to Hill.

In a statement after the vote, Smith told his supporters: “Don’t give up hope. This fight is not over. We should all be so proud of the coalition we have built to fight this.”

In a statement, Kathy Graul, a spokeswoman for Twin Metals Minnesota, described Thursday’s vote as a “critical moment for our nation’s ability to strengthen our mineral supply chains,” adding that Twins Metals Minnesota is “one of several companies focused on the responsible development of minerals in the Duluth Complex, which is the largest undeveloped deposit of copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum group metals in the world.”

“Any proposed project in this region, including Twin Metals, must undergo a year-long multi-agency regulatory review before obtaining permits to begin construction of a mine,” she said, adding that lifting the moratorium “reestablishes that process, and projects must demonstrate that they can meet the stringent environmental standards that have long been in place in Minnesota before moving forward.”

Environmental advocates strongly condemned the Senate’s vote Thursday.

Ingrid Lyons, executive director of Save the Boundary Waters, a conservation group, called it “a dark day for America’s most beloved wilderness area, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and a stark wake-up call for public lands nationwide.”

“Minnesotans and the general American public have been loud and clear: this iconic place must be protected,” she said. “Today, the very people who claim to represent them have been ignored and, worse, silenced. But of course, it’s not over and we will always continue to fight.”

According to the New York Times, although this week’s Senate vote increases the chances that Twin Metals Minnesota will build the mine, the project still faces other hurdles, such as expected legal battles, and it still needs to secure federal leases and state permits.