The Trump administration and pro-mining allies are using a novel interpretation of the Congressional Review Act to overturn protections on some 225,000 acres of public land surrounding the Boundary Waters. This cynical maneuver has already passed the House and now we need your help to stop it in the senate.

In January, the Trump administration exploited an obscure procedural technicality to eliminate the 20-year mining ban on 225,000 acres of public land surrounding the Boundary Waters.

Trump’s team came up with an obscure way to weaponize a novel reading of the Congressional Review Act. They claim that three years after the mining ban was implemented, it needs to be sent to the now-Republican controlled Congress and the U.S. Government Accountability Office. They are doing this with the expectation that the mining ban will be rejected, and the ban will be overturned.

This is an unprecedented maneuver. It is the first time the Congressional Review Act has been used to challenge a Public Land Order. Further, using the law in this way would discard the Forest Service’s comprehensive two-year study into the potential effects of copper-sulfide mining in the Rainy River watershed, as well as more than 675,000 public comments that were overwhelmingly opposed to this project. Science, public opinion, process would be tossed out in favor of a cynical legal theory.

On January 21, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives voted to pass the resolution.

The resolution now heads to the Senate parliamentarian, who will rule on whether this is an appropriate use of the Congressional Review Act. If the bill reaches the Senate, the vote cannot be filibustered and can pass through a simple majority.

We need you to contact your Senator and tell them to vote NO on HJR 140. This is a national treasure, and a national issue.

If the resolution passes, it will allow Twin Metals to acquire mineral leases and move forward with its mining project.

It gets worse. If Congress successfully overturns this protection, it is possible that no future president could implement a similar mining ban in the area. Ever. It may also have the potential to strip the Executive branch’s ability to protect this landscape from mining, regardless of what the American people want from a future administration.

Thank you for your support. The wilderness endures because you refuse to give up.