House to Vote on Bill to Repeal Mining Ban in Boundary Waters

WASHINGTON, D.C. -The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote today on a controversial proposal, backed by the Trump Administration, that would allow toxic sulfide mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.

House Republicans are utilizing a dubious interpretation of the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn a 20-year moratorium on mining in the Superior National Forest. The mining ban was finalized in 2023, following a detailed environmental analysis and hundreds of thousands of supportive public comments.

In August 2025, Deputy Interior Secretary Kate MacGregor reinstated a legal opinion from the first Trump administration allowing Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of a Chilean mining conglomerate, to renew hardrock mineral leases along the lakes and streams that flow into the iconic Minnesota landmark. That opinion had been reversed under the Biden administration.

The Congressional Review Act, which dates to the Clinton Administration, allows Congress to repeal administrative rules developed by executive agencies, but it has never before been used to overturn a mineral withdrawal.

In response, Jackie Feinberg, National Lands Conservation Campaign Manager at the Sierra Club, released the following statement:

"Minnesota's Boundary Waters is one of our nation's most iconic wilderness areas. This push by the Trump Administration and their Congressional allies to allow toxic mining in the Boundary Waters watershed puts this fragile ecosystem at risk, and is a clear giveaway to corporate polluters. Congress must listen to public feedback and reject this resolution."

In response, Margaret Levin, Director of the Sierra Club's North Star Chapter, released the following statement:

"Minnesotans care about each other and our home. We will keep fighting to defend the Boundary Waters - alongside northern Minnesota's downstream communities, Tribal leaders, businesses and concerned residents - against the threat of toxic sulfide mining throughout our region."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit https://www.sierraclub.org.