Minnesota leaders, advocates react to Walz mining executive order

As news of Gov. Tim Walz’s executive order on nonferrous mining in the Rainy River headwaters spread across Minnesota on Tuesday, politicians, advocates and tribal leaders responded.

Both DFL candidates for the Minnesota Legislature in districts that include communities near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness issued statements.

DFL incumbent Sen. Grant Hauschild released a statement shortly after the executive order was announced, criticizing Walz’s decision.

“My constituents are sick of executive overreach by people who no longer feel accountable to the voters or the legislative process, whether that’s in St. Paul or in Washington. In my four years in the Senate, a mining ban never moved through the legislative process or was considered,” Hauschild said in a statement disagreeing with Walz’s decision. “The truth is, no one can honestly say whether they support a mining project before it has gone through the full environmental review and permitting process.”

Aaron Kania, the DFL nominee for state representative, said Northland communities should be part of discussions about mining.

“Here in the Northland, I know we can both maintain Minnesota’s strong environmental standards and build a resilient economy for everyone. Today’s executive order on Rainy River eliminates a deliberative process where communities and businesses could carefully consider how to protect our wilderness and encourage responsible mining,” Kania said.

Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Chairman Robert Deschampe called the executive order a “victory” and credited Walz with taking action.

About the Executive Order, Deschampe said, “The Boundary Waters is the last pristine source of clean
water in the state where Minnesotans can still stop the damage instead of sacrificing our way of life to
live with it. This is a good day.”

Deschampe also referenced Congress’ decision earlier this year to overturn a federal mineral withdrawal in the Boundary Waters watershed.

“A political maneuver in Washington undid years of science and consultation in an afternoon,”
Deschampe said. “That was a loss, but today is a win. The Tribal Nations working together to protect the
BWCA intend to keep fighting to protect these resources.”

Sportsmen for the Boundary Waters, an environmental advocacy organization, thanked Walz for what it described as “standing up for the Boundary Waters.”

“This announcement is a huge step towards permanently protecting the Boundary Waters from copper-nickel mining at the state level. Despite the actions of the current administration, Gov. Walz stepped up and acted on behalf of hundreds of thousands across the country who have made it clear that our public lands and waters are worth protecting,” Executive Director Lukas Leaf said. “Minnesota knows the value of our precious wild places, and we’re going to keep fighting tooth and nail to keep them.”

MiningMinnesota, a mining advocacy organization, strongly opposed Walz’s order.

“Governor Walz’s executive order is a political decision dressed up as an environmental one, and Minnesotans deserve to know the difference. The Governor’s own Department of Natural Resources concluded a six-year legal review that considered more than 4,000 public comments and the most current science available, and ruled definitively that Minnesota’s nonferrous mining regulations are strong enough to protect the Boundary Waters and its watershed,” Executive Director Julie Lucas said in a statement.

MiningMinnesota cited the DNR’s decision in Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness v. DNR. The case is central to Walz’s executive order, which directs state agencies to halt certain environmental review and permitting work while litigation over Minnesota’s nonferrous mining rules remains pending.

The case began in 2020 and is being challenged by both Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness and Twin Metals Minnesota LLC.

The executive order could also become an issue in the race to succeed Walz as governor. Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth and Democratic U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar are running for the office. A future governor could rescind or modify Walz’s executive order.

Demuth criticized the order.

“Tim Walz, Amy Klobuchar and Democrats in the legislature continue their hostility toward Minnesota mining, taking job growth opportunities off the table before they can even go through the regulatory review process,” Demuth said in a statement.

Klobuchar has not explicitly endorsed the executive order. She has, however, opposed congressional efforts to overturn federal protections for the Boundary Waters watershed.

In April, when the Senate considered a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s mineral withdrawal, Klobuchar spoke in support of Sen. Tina Smith, who held the floor for three hours in opposition to the resolution.

“I am the granddaughter of an iron ore miner,” Klobuchar said. “But what this is about today is something else, because my grandpa always got that balance. It was a balance of the working life that we must continue up in northern Minnesota and a balance of the world around him, that world where he loved to hunt and he loved to fish.”

Josh Hinke August 19, 2026