While Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been ravaged by wildfires this summer, it also just recevied some good news. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness recently received the strongest statewide protection in its history.
According to Friends of the Boundary Waters, Minnestoa Gov. Tim Walz just signed an executive order to keep copper-sulfide mining out of the Rainy River Watershed. The order directs the DNR and Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to stop environmental review and permitting work on proposed sulfide mines in the watershed. It also means:
→ No new state mineral leases
→ No new surface leases for tailings or mine waste
→ No DNR participation in federal environmental reviews
→ The DNR will draft legislation to permanently prohibit copper-sulfide mining in the watershed
That last point, says the conservation group, is a big one. It means the governor is directing the state to draft a permanent ban. The move comes just months after Congress stripped federal protections from 225,000 acres of public land surrounding the Boundary Waters.
“We know there will be pushback,” the report states. “The mining industry has fought protections for the Boundary Waters for years, and this won’t be the end of that fight. But today is a significant step forward. We’re grateful to Gov. Walz for taking action, and to everyone who has kept showing up for the Boundary Waters.”
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