Vote NO on H.J. Res 140 to Protect Boundary Waters and Federal Land Protections

I urge you to vote NO on House Joint Resolution 140, which passed the House 214-208 and now threatens to dismantle the foundational purpose of the Wilderness Act and all federal land protections. This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to overturn the Biden administration's 2023 Public Land Order that established a 20-year mining ban protecting 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest surrounding the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from copper-nickel mining. This marks the first time the Congressional Review Act has been weaponized to overturn mineral withdrawals or Public Land Orders. This precedent is catastrophic because it signals that Congress can retroactively target any public land protection, rendering the Wilderness Act and similar conservation laws meaningless. The Boundary Waters has been protected since 1964 and encompasses over a million acres of interconnected waterways, pristine lakes, and ancient forests. It is America's most-visited wilderness area. The environmental stakes are severe. Sulfide-ore copper mining has a 100% failure rate regarding water contamination. Given the Boundary Waters' interconnected waterways, pollution would spread across millions of acres, reaching Voyageurs National Park, Quetico Provincial Park in Canada, and potentially Lake Superior. This would violate the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909 between the U.S. and Canada, which prohibits either country from polluting water flowing into the other. H.J. Res 140 would hand this wilderness to Antofagasta, a Chilean mining conglomerate, to extract minerals for processing in China. Once the Senate passes this resolution and the President signs it, the decision is permanent. Rules revoked under the Congressional Review Act cannot be reinstated by future administrations. The Wilderness Act exists to preserve our natural heritage for future generations. H.J. Res 140 destroys that promise. I ask you to vote NO and protect not just the Boundary Waters, but the integrity of all federal land protections.