1. United States
2. Ky.
3. Letter

I urge you to oppose House Joint Resolution 140, which passed the House on January 21, 2026, and now moves to the Senate for consideration. This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to overturn Public Land Order 7917, a 20-year mining ban protecting 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters watershed from toxic copper mining. This represents an unprecedented misuse of the CRA. The Congressional Review Act has never been used to challenge mineral withdrawals or Public Land Orders, which are governed by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. This maneuver circumvents the Government Accountability Office, which historically provides guidance to Congress on what qualifies as a rule under the CRA. If successful, this creates a dangerous precedent allowing Congress to retroactively target virtually any public land action as a rule, meaning no established land management decision would be safe from politicized attack and nullification. Public Land Order 7917 was signed by the Department of Interior in January 2023 after years of extensive environmental study and public input. It followed all requirements for congressional reporting under FLPMA. Overturning this protection would allow Twin Metals, a Chilean-owned company, to proceed with mining leases on Birch Lake near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Copper mining has a 100% track record of polluting water, and pollution from this mine would flow directly into the Wilderness, impacting Quetico Provincial Park, Voyageurs National Park, and the Rainy River watershed. The Senate Parliamentarian must first rule on whether the CRA can even be used for this purpose. I ask that you oppose this resolution at every stage, defend the integrity of established land management processes, and protect the Boundary Waters watershed from irreversible damage. Our wild places and clean water depend on your leadership.