Providing for Congressional Disapproval of the Rule Submitted By the Bureau of Land Management Relating to Public Land Order No. 7917 for Withdrawal of Federal Lands; Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, Mn

Floor Speech

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Ms. MORRISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong opposition to H.J. Res. 140. This resolution would permanently allow copper sulfide mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Copper sulfide mining is the most toxic industry in America, and it is particularly ill-suited to water-rich environments because it acidifies the water. It leaches heavy metals like arsenic, lead, and mercury into that water, which is part of the reason it has never been done in Minnesota before. Remember, Mr. Speaker, we are the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Minnesotans do not want a toxic mine on the watershed of the Boundary Waters. In fact, 70 percent of Minnesotans want permanent protection for the Boundary Waters, our State's crown jewel.

Antofagasta, owned by a Chilean billionaire who is a crony of President Trump's, is the foreign mining company that wants to extract minerals from this watery wilderness. They have contracts set up to send copper they extract to China for processing, and from there, it will be sold on the open market. Allowing a Chilean mining company to extract copper from our public lands, destroy the Boundary Waters, and send minerals to benefit billionaire owners and China will not protect our national security. Some sacred places should be off-limits from this kind of mining, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is clearly one of those places.

Mr. Speaker, remember too that 22,000 outdoor recreation jobs and the $13.5 billion outdoor recreation economy in Minnesota will all be in serious jeopardy if this resolution passes. The Boundary Waters is a national treasure, the most visited wilderness area in the United States. There is no place like it on Earth, and once it is destroyed, it will be gone forever.

Like many Minnesotans, people around the country and the world, my husband and I have paddled and camped with our kids on the Boundary Waters every year since they were small. We share magical and life- changing memories from our adventures there that we all cherish. Preserving this wilderness for future generations should be our goal, not its destruction.

This resolution is an existential threat to our beloved Boundary Waters. I implore my colleagues to reject this resolution. Mr. Speaker, you have the opportunity to stand up for public lands and the Boundary Waters and prevent the inevitable water, air, noise, light, and land pollution that will destroy this unique wilderness.

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