1. United States
2. N.J.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose HJ res 140. This resolution would have serious and irreversible consequences for Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the surrounding national forest lands near Voyageurs National Park. These waters and forests are not only a natural treasure, but a vital ecological, recreational, and economic resource for the region and the state. H.J. Res. 140 would weaken existing protections and open the door to hardrock mining activities, including access by a foreign-owned Chilean mining company, in an area uniquely vulnerable to pollution. Sulfide-ore copper mining poses well-documented risks to freshwater systems, and once contamination occurs in a watershed like the Boundary Waters, it cannot realistically be undone. Minnesotans across the political spectrum have consistently supported protecting the Boundary Waters from industrial mining. Local communities depend on clean water, tourism, fishing, and outdoor recreation…not short-term extractive projects that leave long-term environmental damage while profits leave the country. National parks, Forests and protected wilderness areas exist precisely because some places are too valuable to gamble with. Rolling back protections for one of the most pristine freshwater ecosystems in the world sets a dangerous precedent and undermines decades of bipartisan conservation efforts. I strongly urge you to oppose H.J. Res. 140 and to support policies that prioritize conservation, local communities, and responsible stewardship of public lands over the interests of foreign mining corporations. The song every kid sings in school is “America the Beautiful” not America the mining country. Let’s keep it beautiful.