Protect the Boundary Waters from Foreign Mining Interests

I am writing as a constituent and a part-owner of our Federal Public Lands to express my outrage regarding the recent reversal of the mining ban in the Boundary Waters watershed. Allowing a Chilean-owned conglomerate (Antofagasta/Twin Metals) to gamble with the headwaters of the most-visited wilderness in America is not "America First"—it is "Corporate Interests First." This is a corrupt trade-off that risks thousands of permanent sustainable jobs in the outdoor recreation economy for a handful of short-term mining positions that will vanish in twenty years, leaving American taxpayers to foot the bill for centuries of water treatment. Sulfide-ore mining has a near-100% failure rate in water-rich environments. If this mine leaks, the sulfuric acid and heavy metals will flow directly into a federal wilderness area that belongs to all of us. There is no "undo" button for a poisoned ecosystem. As my representative, I expect you to: 1. Co-sponsor and support a permanent legislative withdrawal of the 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest from mineral leasing. 2. Oppose any budget appropriations that fund the permitting or infrastructure for sulfide-ore mining in the Boundary Waters watershed. 3. Uphold the integrity of federal land protections and stop using the Congressional Review Act to bypass scientific environmental reviews. The Boundary Waters is a national treasure, not a sacrifice zone for a foreign mining company. I will be watching your votes on this issue closely.