Ranking Member Huffman Slams Backdoor Attempt to Open Boundary Waters to Toxic Mining

Washington, D.C. – Today, Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) spoke on the House Floor against H.J. Res. 140, a Congressional Review Act resolution that would overturn protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota and allow a Chilean mining company with ties to China to pursue a sulfide-ore copper mine near its headwaters.

“Mr. Speaker, the Boundary Waters draw more visitors than any other wilderness in the country. Millions of Americans have paddled and fished, swum, found solace among its pristine lakes and forests. It supports a multibillion-dollar outdoor economy, thousands of jobs, and a way of life passed down for generations. Presidents reaching back to Teddy Roosevelt and members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have long recognized its value and protected it as part of our American heritage.

“But the Boundary Waters have been under threat for years. Twin Metals, owned by Antofagasta, a Chilean mining company with close ties to China, has been lobbying to set up a mine outside the wilderness area, along the banks of waters that flow north directly into the wilderness. The type of mining Twin Metals has proposed has a 100 percent track record of toxic pollution. 100 percent. There has never been a mine of this kind that did not leach toxic pollution.

“And despite what the other side of the aisle might tell you, there's no guarantee that the precious minerals produced from this mine would stay in the U.S. and benefit the American economy or American national security. Antofagasta sends most of its minerals to China, where they're sold on the global market—likely the same fate for these minerals if this mine is allowed to happen.

“All of this is why, nearly three years ago, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland protected the land surrounding the Boundary Waters and its headwaters from mining for 20 years through a public land order, a standard tool backed by peer-reviewed science and extensive public engagement.
“The Congressional Review Act resolution on the floor today would overturn those protections, putting our beloved Boundary Waters at risk of toxic pollution from a foreign-owned mine.

“If this CRA succeeds, it won't only open the Boundary Waters to pollution. It would set a terrible and dangerous precedent for Congress to roll back protections for any of our treasured public lands with little oversight or notice, because Republicans have decided they'd rather pillage them for profit.
“Some places are worth protecting. This pristine, one-of-a-kind place is one of them.”

Background

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness draws more visitors than any other wilderness in the country. Its pristine lakes and forests support thousands of Minnesota jobs and a $13 billion outdoor recreation economy. In 2023, Secretary Haaland protected the Boundary Waters headwaters from new mining for 20 years through a Public Land Order, a standard tool Interior has used for decades to safeguard sensitive public lands. The decision was backed by peer-reviewed science on sulfide-ore copper mining, which has a 100 percent track record of polluting water and would cause certain, irreversible contamination in this watershed.

H.J. Res. 140 would overturn these protections, opening the door for Twin Metals, a foreign-owned mining project, to pollute waters flowing directly into the wilderness. The minerals extracted would be shipped abroad for processing and sale on the global market. Republicans are twisting the Congressional Review Act into a weapon to erase public land protections, asserting without precedent that Public Land Orders are rules covered by the CRA. Congress received notice of this order over three years ago. If Republicans succeed in reaching back to overturn a protection that was never considered a "rule," every protected public land in America could be on the chopping block.

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