Is Mining the Boundary Waters Advancing a Green Future?
- Liyana Zaman
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
The Restored Lands Advocate
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, located in northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest, is a protected 1.1 million acre wildlife preserve containing nearly 20% of all the freshwater in the entire U.S. National Forest System. With over 1,000 lakes carved deep into the bedrock by ancient glaciers, the water is said to be so pure that paddlers often dip their canteen directly into the lake for a drink. Being America's most-visited wilderness area, the popular tourist attraction brings over 250,000 visitors annually from around the world to Minnesota, providing a one-of-a-kind experience for canoeing, camping, fishing, and hiking.
However, the peace of this wilderness sanctuary was thrown into uncertainty on April 16, 2026 when the U.S. Senate voted to strip federal protections from 225,000 acres of this irreplaceable landscape, clearing the way for toxic copper, nickel, and platiunum group elements (PGE) mining in its headwaters.
The Legal Back and Forth to Keep the Boundary Waters Wild
The fate of the once protected 225,000 acres leading into the Boundary Waters has been a political game of tug-of-war for over a decade. While Public Land Order 7917 established a 20-year mining ban in 2023, the protection has been fragile. Over the past decade, protections for the Boundary Waters have swung back and forth between administrations beginning with the Obama Administration initiating a study for the ban in 2016, followed by the Trump Administration canceling it, then the Biden Administration reinstating and ultimately finalizing the ban.
But the fight over the Boundary Waters extends far beyond Minnesota politics, stemming from the global race toward “Net Zero”.
To reach the goal of a carbon-neutral future by 2050, the world is demanding a massive increase in minerals like copper and nickel for green technology, placing the Boundary Waters directly in the crosshairs for industries racing to secure critical minerals for clean energy infrastructure.
And now, the cycle continues, with the U.S. Senate passing H.J. Res 140 by a narrow 50-49 vote, utilizing the Congressional Review Act to revoke that 20-year ban. The Congressional Review Act is a legislative tool that allows Congress to overturn federal agency policies by passing a joint resolution of disapproval. This resolution already passed by the House in January 2026, now it heads to President Trump's desk for a guaranteed signature.
This is the first time the Congressional Review Act has been used against a mineral withdrawal, creating a dangerous precedent for public lands across the country.
What’s at Risk
Serving as a nature lover’s bucket list, the Boundary Waters is an aquatic paradise that hosts an interconnected system of more than a million acres of lakes, rivers, wetlands, and forest throughout Northeastern Minnesota’s pristine wilderness. Not only does it have some of the world’s cleanest water, but it is also one of the last few remaining naturally quiet areas on the planet, where visitors can experience nature away from the hum of busy streets and loud engines. As paddlers move through these waterways, they pass through diverse ecosystems where you can find moose, gray wolves, black bears, and countless fish & bird species that have all resided here long before industry began. Being such a large and protected wilderness area, the United States depends on it to sustain biodiversity in the face of a changing climate—putting this fragile ecosystem at risk could cause permanent environmental damage from which it may never fully recover.
A 2018 study by James H. Stock, a prominent Harvard University economist, found that the long-term benefits of tourism significantly outweigh those of mining. Unlike mining, which is finite and dependent on resource depletion, the recreation economy is sustainable—it is built on the area's abundance and serenity.
Modeling 72 different economic scenarios over a 20-year period, their research found that in 89% of these cases, protecting the Boundary Waters from mining led to greater economic benefits over opening it to industrial activity, potentially yielding up to 4,500 more jobs and $900 million more in personal income over 20 years for the region.
Ultimately, the study suggests that the long-term economic foundation of the Boundary Waters is built on access to nature and ecological purity, assets that we cannot afford to lose to contamination or industry.
For the Anishinaabe Indigenous communities who retain treaty-protected rights to hunt, fish, and gather in this region, the threat of mining near the Boundary Waters is not only an environmental risk—it is an assault on sovereignty. These lands hold deep cultural ties, and the potential contamination of clean drinking water and fishing areas represents a direct threat to their way of life.
Not to mention tourism here is a staple for many small businesses, including guides and local shops that cater to visitors and campers around the Boundary Waters. For many residents, protecting the Boundary Waters is not only about conservation, but protecting a way of life that has sustained local communities for generations.
Copper-nickel mining is especially risky in a water-rich environment like this one. The extraction process creates sulfide waste, which, when exposed to air and water, can produce sulfuric acid, leaching toxic metals into surrounding waterways and contributing to bioaccumulation in nature.
In a region defined by interconnected waterways, a single contamination event would not stay contained and could spread rapidly.
The Foreign Interest
Many politicians, such as Representative Pete Stauber, argue that mining is essential for national security—but the project is led by Twin Metals, a company owned by Antofagasta PLC, a London-based Chilean mining giant.
Reports indicate that Antofagasta plans to send these Minnesota minerals to China to fulfill agreements with state-owned smelters.
China uses these metals to dominate the global production of green technologies, like EV batteries and solar components. As Senator Martin Heinrich noted, “Send them [America’s minerals] to China, process them in China, and then maybe — maybe — sell them back to the American people with a tariff. This is nuts. Is that America first? That's America last.”
How “Green” is Green Energy?
The global push toward green energy has complicated the debate over mining. Technologies like wind and solar power rely on minerals such as copper and nickel, meaning that reaching the goal of Net Zero by 2050 will require a significant increase in mining.
While green energy is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and limit environmental damage, obtaining the materials needed to build these technologies generates toxic waste, destroys habitats, and can leave lasting damage on fragile ecosystems.
Beyond extraction, the current infrastructure of green energy has its tradeoffs with solar farms replacing farmland and wind turbines linked to wildlife disruption and community concerns. No energy system is truly impact-free, raising the question of whether the current green energy model simply shifts environmental harm from one place to another.
The Human Divide
This region sits within the 1854 Treaty Ceded Territory, where the Anishinaabe people have lived, fished, and traveled for generations. Locals have been building lives among this pristine and protected wilderness for thousands of years.
Because of this deep history, the people living and operating here today are divided by more than just politics—they are divided by how they value the land’s future.
On one side is the demand for critical minerals, the promise of economic growth, and the urgency of transitioning to green energy. On the other is the protection of a diverse ecosystem, the preservation of Indigenous sovereignty, and the recognition that some risks are simply irreversible.
The Last Line of Defense: Minnesota
With federal protections stripped by the Senate’s recent vote, the fight for this million-acre sanctuary now moves to the state level. Advocates are calling on Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Legislature to act where Congress failed—challenging them to step up as the final guardians of the state's most precious resource. While federal leases may be back in play, Minnesota still holds critical power through its own environmental review, permitting, water-quality approvals, and state land decisions—authority that could stop or sharply limit any project that poses an unacceptable risk to the Boundary Waters.
There is a growing push for state-level mining prohibitions here or even an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution to enshrine these protections permanently.
Call to Action
The easiest way to understand what is at stake is to experience the Boundary Waters firsthand. Spend a few days paddling through its lakes, listening to the silence at sunrise, or watching the night sky without city lights overhead. It quickly becomes clear why so many people consider this wilderness worth protecting.
Beyond visiting, people can support organizations working to preserve the region through state-level protections, environmental advocacy, and public awareness campaigns.
Because once a wilderness like this is lost, restoring it is not as simple as passing another vote.
Written by: Liyana Zaman
Edited by: Henry C Passerini
Liyana Zaman is from Long Island, New York, currently pursuing a degree in Psychology at New York University on the pre-law track, with hopes of working in environmental law in the future. With a deep passion for environmental awareness and strong interested in how advocacy, education, and policy can create change, she is excited to contribute to the Restored Lands mission and protect our environment for generations to come!
REFERENCES
“About the Project.” Twin Metals, www.twin-metals.com/meet-twin-metals/about-the-project/.
Explore Minnesota Tourism. “Minnesota’s Outdoor Recreation Economy Shows Resilience with Steady Growth.” Explore Minnesota, 5 Dec. 2024, www.exploreminnesota.com/media-room/news-releases/minnesotas-outdoor-recreation-economy-shows-resilience-steady-growth. Accessed 8 May 2026.
“Harvard Economics Study Summary | Save the Boundary Waters.” Www.savetheboundarywaters.org, www.savetheboundarywaters.org/harvard-economics-study-summary.
“Our Water.” Save the Boundary Waters, 2025, www.savetheboundarywaters.org/our-water.
“Superior National Forest : Recreation Site - Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.” Forest Service, 23 July 2025, www.fs.usda.gov/r09/superior/recreation/boundary-waters-canoe-area-wilderness.
“VIDEO — Heinrich: “This Is a Dark Day for This Body. This Is a Stain on What the Senate Used to Be” | U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.” Senate.gov, Martin, 16 Apr. 2026, www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/video_heinrich-this-is-a-dark-day-for-this-body-this-is-a-stain-on-what-the-senate-used-to-be. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
Witchalls, Sammy. “The Environmental Problems Caused by Mining.” Earth.org, Earth.org, 3 Apr. 2022, earth.org/environmental-problems-caused-by-mining/.
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