Trump signs measure overturning Boundary Waters-area mining moratorium

On Monday, President Donald Trump signed House Joint Resolution 140 into law.

The resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to overturn Public Land Order 7917, which imposed a 20-year moratorium on mining in the Superior National Forest, including areas within the Rainy River Watershed outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Trump’s action came 11 days after the Senate narrowly passed the resolution, 50-49, on April 16.

Rep. Pete Stauber, who introduced the measure, said in a press release: “The illegal mining ban put in place by former President Biden has been overturned indefinitely, ending a reckless policy that sidelined Minnesota’s miners and undermined our nation’s ability to source our own materials. Never again will any Democrat President be able to unilaterally ban mining in this strategic area of the Superior National Forest. Now, proposed mining projects aimed at unlocking trillions of dollars’ worth of critical minerals can move forward through the proper state and federal environmental review and permitting process.”

Use of the Congressional Review Act bars future administrations from issuing a similar public land order.

“This decision dismisses outright years of rigorous scientific evidence, the voices of hundreds of thousands of Americans, and the clear will of Minnesotans—70 percent of whom support permanent protection of the Boundary Waters. All of it swept aside in a single paragraph. But Americans won’t stop fighting for permanent protection of this most visited Wilderness,” said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, in a press release Monday afternoon.

While the law is a win for mining interests, including the proposed Twin Metals Minnesota project, it must still undergo state and federal environmental review and permitting, a process that can take years.

Advocacy efforts around the Boundary Waters are expected to shift toward the state legislature, which has largely avoided the issue while the federal mining moratorium was in place.

WTIP spoke with Friends of the Boundary Waters and Better in Our Backyard following the senate’s vote earlier this month.  Audio of those conversations can be found below.

Josh Hinke April 28, 2026