Yesterday, the Department of the Interior issued a 20-year mineral withdrawal on 225,378 acres of Superior National Forest lands upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) in northeastern Minnesota. The mineral withdrawal bans copper-nickel sulfide-ore mining—some of the most toxic mining on the planet—of federally-owned minerals in the watershed of the BWCAW, sparing this iconic Wilderness from disastrous impacts to its wild character, fish and wildlife habitat, and clean water. As the largest Wilderness east of the Rockies and north of the Everglades, the 1.1 million-acre BWCAW is accessible to and popular with a wide range of people and population centers, making it the most popularly-visited Wilderness in the entire National Wilderness Preservation System. Its 1,000-plus pristine lakes and 1,200 miles of rivers and streams are especially sensitive to the pollution from copper-nickel mining, which includes sulfuric acid (think battery acid) and toxic heavy metals, such as mercury, lead, and arsenic. The Boundary Waters is threatened by several proposed mines, including the proposed Twin Metals mine at its doorstep. Twin Metals no longer has federal mineral leases since the Biden administration canceled them after determining the leases were unlawfully-renewed by the Trump administration. The new mineral withdrawal adds another nail to the coffin of this mine. Yesterday’s announcement will not affect the proposed PolyMet Mine, which would sit just outside the watershed of the BWCAW and which is currently blocked by multiple legal challenges. Other mining proposals would utilize primarily state and private minerals in the watershed of the BWCAW, so the threats of copper-nickel mining are not entirely eliminated. But still, yesterday’s action by the Biden administration is a huge step in protecting the BWCAW from mining damage. And Wilderness Watch supports the bill in Congress by Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN), HR 2794, to make this mining moratorium permanent. Her bill narrowly failed to pass Congress last month. WW and our members and supporters have weighed in time and again to protect the priceless and irreplaceable Boundary Waters, sending tens of thousands of public comments over the years on the proposed mineral withdrawal (and other mining-related proposals impacting the BWCAW). Hearing the overwhelming citizen support for protecting this special place, early in 2022 the Forest Service (FS) temporarily paused mining activity here while it conducted a study on how copper-nickel sulfide-ore mining could harm this lakeland Wilderness. The study’s findings of irreparable damage to the BWCAW led the FS to propose the 20-year moratorium (the maximum allowed without Congressional action). Solidifying a great victory for the Boundary Waters, Interior Secretary Haaland finalized the 20-year mining ban yesterday, issuing a Public Land Order and final Environmental Assessment (EA). All of your activism on behalf of the Boundary Waters over the years has paid off—thank you! | 
