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Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act

THE LATEST

January 31, 2023: McCollum Reintroduces Bill to Permanently Protect Boundary Waters from Toxic Mining Pollution

January 26, 2023: MCCOLLUM STATEMENT ON PUBLIC LANDS ORDER PROTECTING BOUNDARY WATERS FROM SULFIDE-ORE COPPER MINING POLLUTION

January 29, 2023: EDITORIAL: A historic step to protect the BWCA


Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act

Minnesotans and visitors alike know this universal truth: The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is a special place. From the pristine, clear waters, to the stillness and quiet that's nearly unmatched anywhere else in the nation – this place is a refuge and source of adventure for thousands of people. In fact, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is the most-visited federal wilderness area in the U.S.

The BWCAW is intact today because of more than a century of protections by the State of Minnesota and the U.S. government. But these protections are threatened by sulfide-ore copper mining, which risks polluting these waters – and once damaged, they can never fully be restored. There is no acceptable risk level for sulfide-ore copper mining just footsteps away from this fragile and vulnerable ecosystem.

Some places are simply too special to mine. It is our obligation to ensure these unique and valuable lands and waters remain intact for generations to come.

Legislation

The Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act permanently protects 234,328 acres of federal lands and waters within the Superior National Forest from risky sulfide-ore copper mining. The bill is supported by local, regional, and national advocacy groups in favor of permanently protecting these critical resources.

The bill is focused on sulfide-ore copper mining in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park.

The legislation:

  • Does not limit taconite or iron-ore mining anywhere in the State of Minnesota

  • Does not affect sulfide-ore copper mining projects outside the Rainy River Drainage Basin

  • Does not interfere with state mineral leasing, state environmental regulations, or state permitting processes

View a fact sheet here with more information.

Support

The legislation is endorsed by a broad variety of stakeholders, including:

  • American Canoe Association
  • American Rivers
  • Back Country Hunters
  • Crow River Trail Guards
  • EarthJustice
  • Environmental Protection Information Center
  • Friends of the Boundary Waters
  • John Huston, Polar Explorer
  • Klamath Forest Alliance
  • League of Conservation Voters
  • Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, including the Bois Forte, Leech Lake, White Earth, Fond du Lac, Mille Lacs, and Grand Portage bands
  • National Parks Conservation Association
  • National Resources Defense Council
  • Save the Boundary Waters
  • Sierra Club
  • Sierra Club North Star Chapter
  • The Conservation Alliance
  • The Wilderness Society
  • Voyageurs National Park Association
  • Winter Wildlands Alliance

Original cosponsors of the legislation are as follows:Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Dean Phillips (MN-03), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Jared Huffman (CA-02), Earl Blumenauer (OR-03), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Daniel T. Kildee (MI-5), Janice D. Schakowsky (IL-09), Nanette Diaz Barragán (CA-44), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Sean Casten (IL-06), Anna G. Eshoo (CA-18), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Derek Kilmer (WA-06), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Judy Chu (CA-27), Barbara Lee (CA-13), Cori Bush (MO-01), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Ed Case (HI-01), Elissa Slotkin (MI-08), Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), Suzan K. DelBene (WA-01), Jesus G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18), Andre Carson (IN-07), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Mike Levin (CA-49), Melanie Ann Stansbury (NM-01), Matt Cartwright (PA-08), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Paul Tonko (NY-20), Ted Lieu (CA-33), John B. Larson (CT-01), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Deborah K. Ross (NC-02), and Adam Schiff (CA-30).

McCollum Statements:

McCollum Requests President Biden Take Action to Protect Boundary Waters (February 2021)
McCollum Reintroduces Legislaton to Permanently Proect Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from Toxic Mining Pollution (April 2021)
McCollum Commends Biden Administration Actions Protecting Boundary Waters (October 2021)
McCollum Declares Monumental Victory for Boundary Waters (January 2022)
McCollum Receives Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership Conservation Award (May 2022)
Hearing on Boundary Waters Bill Showcases Wide Support for Permanent Protection (May 2022)
Draft Environmental Assessment Finds Major Risk to Boundary Waters from Sulfide-Ore Copper Mining(June 2022)
McCollum Statement on Public Lands Order Protecting Boundary Watesr from Sulfide-Ore Copper Mining Pollution(January 2023)

Map Showing Proximity of Proposed Sulfide-ore Copper Mine to Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness

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20.0114 BWCA Final Map