1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

As your constituent, I humbly ask that you please do everything in your power to help protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) and the quality of water for all. We must stop destroying ecosystems that took millennia to create in order for the few to earn short term profits. The BWCA is America's most visited Wilderness Area and, at 1.1 million acres of interconnected lakes and streams, is home to some of the most pristine water in the United States. As a measure to protect this place for future generations, a 20-year mineral withdrawal (Public Land Order 7917) was placed in the headwaters of the BWCA in 2023, backed by the United States Forest Service's Environmental Assessment and over 675,000 public comments, of which 90% supported the withdrawal. In early January, this Public Land Order was challenged under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), despite Public Land Orders never being deemed a rule subject to the CRA. Instead, statutory requirements for Public Land Orders have always been dictated by the Federal Land Management and Policy Act. To further this process, Representative Pete Stauber (R-MN) introduced HJ Res. 140, which would overturn the mineral withdrawal. This would open the door for Twin Metals, a subsidiary of the Chilean mining company Antofogasta, to permit a copper-nickel mine less than a mile upstream from the Wilderness boundary. As an outdoors enthusiast who relies on places like the Boundary Waters, this legislation is extremely troubling. Removing Boundary Waters protections by passing this CRA would blatantly ignore the voices of the overwhelming majority of the American sporting and ecologically-minded community and prioritize the profits of a foreign mining company. I ask that you uphold protections for the Boundary Waters that ensure generations of clean water and wildlife in Northeast Minnesota. Our heritage and economy rely on an intact, pristine Wilderness that millions of Americans have visited. Please vote NO on HJ Resolution 140 and any similar actions taken in the Senate.