This story was originally published by MinnPost.
WASHINGTON — As it finished its work on President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” the House Natural Resources Committee approved legislation that would end a mining ban on Superior National Forest that protects the watershed for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
The legislation would also reestablish mineral leases sought by mining company Twin Metals that had been canceled and approve new leases for mineral extraction and helium production in the national forest.
In a marathon session that ended early Wednesday, May 7, Democrats on the panel submitted about 120 amendments, including one that would strip out the legislation’s language reversing the mining moratorium and another that would scrap the approval of new leases.
The wide-ranging budget bill would also open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration. Moreover, it would allow companies to pay a fee in exchange for expedited permitting and give mining companies and the oil and natural gas industry certain exemptions from judicial review, limiting environmental lawsuits that have impeded copper-nickel mining efforts on Minnesota’s Iron Range.
Taconite is mined in Superior National Forest, but environmentalists say mining for copper, cobalt, nickel and other metals in the forest would produce tailings that can be dangerous sources of toxic chemicals that would pollute the Rainy River Watershed — and the Boundary Waters.
Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the highest-ranking Democrat on the panel, called the bill “the most extreme, anti-environment bill in American history.”
“The vast majority of Americans hate all of this,” he said.
The legislation was also condemned by environmental groups that have been fighting sulfide-ore mining on the Iron Range.
Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, called the bill “a reckless giveaway of America’s most iconic public lands.”
“And the Boundary Waters is squarely in the crosshairs,” she added.
Even so, the panel’s Republican majority struck down every Democratic amendment.
Twin Metals, which has been trying to mine copper, nickel and cobalt in Superior National Forest for decades, declined comment.
But MiningMinnesota, which represents mining interests in the state, said in a statement that it applauded “the members of Congress who recognize what we’ve long known: Minnesota is home to one of the world’s largest undeveloped mineral resources including copper, nickel, cobalt, and more.”
“Restoring cancelled federal mineral rights in northeast Minnesota is an important step forward in allowing current and future mining projects to undergo a fair and thorough regulatory process,” MiningMinnesota said.
Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Eighth District, a senior member of the panel, introduced legislation that would end the moratorium and reestablish Twin Metals’ leases. But those bills failed to pass the U.S. Senate.
Yet the bill reported out of the House Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday will be part of a budget reconciliation process that cannot be filibustered by the Senate. Stauber said the legislation “responsibly unleashes American resources.”
As congressional committees work on a budget bill that would implement Trump’s agenda, impose massive cuts in federal programs and renew $5 trillion in tax cuts Trump implemented in his first term, the process has been slowed by GOP disagreements over how much to cut from Medicaid and other programs.
And some provisions the House wants in the reconciliation bill may run afoul of the Senate parliamentarian because in the Senate reconciliation bills must focus on budget issues, not changes in federal policy.
And, as far as the mining provisions approved by the House Natural Resources Committee, Minnesota’s mining industry is also regulated by the state and any new permits would have to be approved by the governor.
“The state is a backstop,” Lyons said.
‘Critical minerals’ production
Meanwhile, Trump’s National Energy Dominance Council last week designated a proposed open pit mine for copper, nickel, cobalt and other precious metals proposed by NewRange as a priority for federal permitting.
Through an executive order signed in March, Trump directed federal agencies, in coordination with the council, to identify and expedite priority mineral production projects that can be “immediately approved” or immediately issued permits.
NewRange proposes building a $1 billion open pit mine near Babbitt and Hoyt Lakes called the NorthMet Project. But the company had its federal permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revoked because of concerns over the mine’s potential impact on a federally protected wetland.
NewRange says it will submit an updated Clean Water Act Section 404 permit application for the NorthMet Project to the Army Corps of Engineers later this year.
Meanwhile, Trump has increased the impact on national security of the minerals that are below the surface of the Iron Range.
The executive order Trump signed in March added copper and several other minerals to the nation’s list of critical minerals, which had already included nickel and cobalt.
Trump is intent on boosting the nation’s production of critical minerals and is using his authority under the 1950 Defense Production Act to try to reduce U.S. reliance on critical minerals through imports from countries like China.
This article first appeared on MinnPost and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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With four days left in the legislative session, the agreement does not appear to have the support required to pass the Senate. A special session is likely.
