Outdoor enthusiasts travel by canoe through many of the hundreds of freshwater lakes that make up the Boundary Waters in Minnesota’s northern forests.
Andrew Lichtenstein | Corbis News | getty images
The Senate on Thursday overturned a Stoppage in minnesota Superior National ForestA boon for a subsidiary of a Chilean mining company and a serious loss for environmentalists trying to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The chamber voted 50-49 to overturn the protections imposed by President Joe Biden through 2023, which he had set for 20 years. It clears the way for a long-stalled mine 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 is the latest step in a long battle over mining in the area, which has dragged on for years between Democratic and Republican administrations as environmental groups warn the project could pollute the nation’s most visited wilderness area.
The mine was sought by Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining group antofagastaAttempts to access copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum buried deep beneath the Superior National Forest. While the site itself is outside boundary waters and the company dismisses pollution concerns, opponents say it would essentially spill toxic chemicals into boundary waters.
“Twin Metals Minnesota is one of many companies focused on responsibly developing the minerals at the Duluth Complex, the world’s largest known undeveloped copper, nickel, cobalt and platinum group metal reserves,” Twin Metals spokeswoman Kathy Groll said in a statement to CNBC. “A significant portion of these resources were decommissioned as a result of mineral extraction implemented in 2023, with negative impacts on Iron Range communities.”
“The Twin Metals team looks forward to a robust discussion and engagement with our communities through any future regulatory processes,” Groll said.
Republicans who pushed the proposal praised the outcome. The change proceeded under the Congressional Review Act process, which allows Congress to undo new executive rules by a simple majority. It was approved by the House in January.
“A huge victory today for America and Minnesota’s 8th Congressional District,” Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., said in a statement. post on x. “The Senate just passed my bill to overturn Biden’s illegal mining ban in the Superior National Forest – it is now headed to the President’s desk!”
The vote came over the objection of Democrats and two Republicans, Senators Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine, who warned of irreparable damage to border waters and the unregulated use of the Congressional Review Act, which could harm the now-majority Republicans if Democrats control the Senate.
The Boundary Waters were established as a federal wilderness area by 1978 legislation. Motorized boats and other vehicles are prohibited on about 2,000 lakes spanning 1.1 million acres in northeastern Minnesota, bordering Canada.
A lake within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Ely, MN. (Photo by Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Salwan Georges Washington Post | getty images
Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, said the vote was a “dark day” and a “blot” on the Senate.
“I can tell you, as someone who has been a natural resources trustee, who has had to negotiate with copper companies in my own state, that this type of copper mining has never been done without polluting the water. Never, not even once,” he said in a speech before the vote. “So we’re guaranteeing that we’re going to pollute border waters.”
The proposal also passed over the objections of the Minnesota Senate delegation, Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, both Democrats.
“You can support mining, but that doesn’t mean you support every mine everywhere,” Smith said. “No matter the outcome of this vote this afternoon, we will not stop fighting, and we will not stop our work to protect border waters.”
Actor Nick Offerman debates at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.
Bill Clark | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | getty images
There was also considerable external pressure to overturn the mining moratorium, including from people such as actor Nick Offerman.
Offerman said in one, “Enjoying the Minnesota/Canadian wilderness by canoe or other small watercraft is one of our country’s greatest available pastimes, and I personally have enjoyed it my entire life.” post on x On Wednesday. “We must protect these public lands from greedy capitalists who threaten to turn them into toxic wastelands.”
Ingrid Lyons, executive director of the advocacy group Save the Boundary Waters, said the vote goes against the will of Minnesotans.
“Today is a dark day for America’s most beloved wilderness area, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, and a stark warning to public lands across the country,” he said in a statement. “Minnesotans and the American public have written loud and clear – this iconic place needs to be preserved. Today, they have been ignored, and worse, silenced, by the very people who claim to represent them.”
Public lands have been a flashpoint during this Congress. Some Republicans pushed to sell off a large portion of federally owned property as part of their tax and spending bill last year, which was canceled after resistance from outdoor and hunting groups and strong opposition from members of the Montana delegation.
The bill is now with President Donald Trump. Hopefully he will sign it.