On January 21, 2026, the House passed a resolution using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the 20-year mining ban protection the Boundary Waters watershed from toxic copper mining.
The House Joint Resolution 140 (H.J. Res. 140), sponsored by Rep. Pete Stauber (MN-8), is a blow to all paddlers who understand the immense value to this pristine wilderness.
What comes next? The resolution moves to the Senate. The timing of the Senate vote is not yet known and it is of the upmost importance that paddlers take action by contacting their senators to vote NO on any resolution that would overturn Boundary Waters protections.
Only 3 years ago, the Department of Interior signed Public Land Order 7917, withdrawing approximately 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest from mineral and geothermal leasing for a 20-year period, including watersheds that flow into the Boundary Waters and beyond. (Save the Boundary Waters)
This effort was the result of the effort of hundreds of thousands of Americans speaking up on behalf of the Boundary Waters. Stop Congress from undoing Boundary Waters protections and setting a dangerous precedent of using the Congressional Review Act to undo conservation efforts.
