U.S. Senate Votes to Strip Mining Ban Near Boundary Waters

(Photo courtesy of BWCA.com via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – Minnesotans unhappy with a final congressional vote on mining interests near the Boundary Waters insist their fight is not over, after the Senate overturned protections for areas along the most visited public wilderness in the U.S.

The narrow vote sent the resolution to President Donald Trump, who supports it. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area is considered a national treasure for its pristine landscape, drawing roughly 200,000 visitors annually. But the region has attracted renewed industrial interest for mineral extraction.

Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., led opposition in the Senate and suggested environmental groups have strong standing to challenge the outcome by filing a lawsuit. Smith was alluding to Republicans leaning on the seldom-used Congressional Review Act to push the resolution through.

“The Senate and the House should follow the law,” Smith urged. “They should follow the laws that they wrote about how public land orders are treated in this country, and I do not believe that happened here.”