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Protect the Boundary Waters from toxic mining!

Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, MN

The Biden administration has taken the first step to halt proposed sulfide-ore copper mines in the watershed of the fabled Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northeastern Minnesota by applying for a 20-year moratorium on mining while environmental impact studies are completed.

But despite the administration's move, the work to protect Boundary Waters is far from done. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is now conducting a 90-day public comment period on the application, and your voice matters!

The 1.1 million-acre BWCAW lies in the Superior National Forest. Its more than 1,000 lakes and 1,200 miles of streams and rivers make it a lakeland Wilderness where travel is primarily by canoe. The BWCAW is also the most visited Wilderness in the entire National Wilderness Preservation System.

The BLM is now considering a 20-year moratorium on copper-nickel sulfide-ore mining—some of the most toxic mining on the planet—on 225,378 acres of federal land surrounding the Boundary Waters. A 90-day comment period is already underway. Please submit a comment and be a part of a historic movement to protect the Boundary Waters from toxic mining.

The science shows that copper-sulfide mining is a grave threat to the water-rich environment of northeastern Minnesota, including the Boundary Waters, which has some of the cleanest water in North America! We must not risk this national treasure for the short-term financial gain of the international mining industry. Please take action today and help make sure no federal mineral leases could be granted for 20 years!!

Please send your comment by Jan. 19th!

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Urge the BLM to place a 20-year moratorium on copper-nickel sulfide-ore mining near the Boundary Waters

Boundary Waters mineral withdrawal

Subject: Superior National Forest Withdrawal Application

Message:

Please accept my comments on the Superior National Forest Withdrawal Application. I strongly support the application by the United States Forest Service (USFS) for the 20-year withdrawal of all mineral and geothermal leases on approximately 225,378 acres of National Forest System lands in the Rainy River Watershed in the Superior National Forest. Because the Rainy River watershed is home to America’s most visited Wilderness, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), this land deserves to be managed according to strict scientific standards and to be protected by strong environmental protections. The fabled Boundary Waters is America's most visited Wilderness. Its 1.1 million acres contain more than 1,000 pristine lakes and 1,200 miles of river and stream, offering unmatched fishing, hunting, and other outstanding wilderness recreational opportunities for all Americans to enjoy. Priceless and irreplaceable, the Boundary Waters must not be put at risk of perpetual pollution from the most toxic industry in America. Please thoroughly address the following in your environmental review: •	Unprotected watershed of Rainy River Headwaters—Portions of the Rainy River Headwaters lie outside and upstream of the BWCAW. Acid Mine Drainage from any sulfide-ore copper mine located in this unprotected portion of the watershed would flow into the BWCAW and degrade its exceptional water quality. •	Cleanest water quality in North America—The lakes, rivers, and streams of the Boundary Waters watershed are among the cleanest waters in North America and are especially sensitive to acids and heavy-metals found in sulfide copper mine pollution. The waters have little ability to buffer acid. •	America’s most visited and accessible Wilderness—The BWCAW is the most visited Wilderness in the U.S., and the largest Wilderness east of the Rockies and north of the Everglades. Visitors travel through it primarily by canoe, and can choose routes to avoid having to portage gear, making the Boundary Waters more accessible to families, children, and people with physical limitations. As the U.S. Forest Service noted, “Failure of required mitigation measures, containment facilities, or remediation efforts at mine sites and their related facilities could lead to irreversible degradation of this key water-based wilderness resource.” The science shows that copper-sulfide mining is a grave threat to the water-rich environment of northeastern Minnesota. We must not risk this national treasure for the short-term financial gain of the international mining industry. Thank you for considering my comments.

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Protect the Boundary Waters from toxic mining!

Urge the BLM to place a 20-year moratorium on copper-nickel sulfide-ore mining near the Boundary Waters

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