RELEASE: Minnesota Senator Cwodzinski and Rep. Falconer introduced critical Boundary Waters permanent protection bill

The bill extends the permanent state ban on mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) to also prohibit sulfide-ore copper mining on state-owned lands and issuance of sulfide-ore copper mining permits, licenses, and leases within the Rainy River Headwaters.

(St. Paul, MN) – Today, Save the Boundary Waters hosted a press event at the Minnesota Capitol with Senator Steve Cwodzinski and Representative Alex Falconer chief authors of the Boundary Waters Permanent Protection bill (S.F.875 and awaiting a bill number in the House). They were joined by Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, Jack Lee, Executive Director of Voyageur Outward Bound School, and Moses Mbua, a high school senior and member of Kids for the Boundary Waters.

Cosponsors of the legislation in both chambers as of 2/13/25 include:
Senate authors: Cwodzinski, Johnson Stewart, Port, Kunesh, Rest.
House authors: Falconer, Feist, Jordan, Acomb, Liebling, Norris, Reyer, Kraft, Greene, Hiltsley, Hussein, Rehm, Lee K, Pursell, Freiberg, Virnig, Rehrauer, Hanson J.

“I’m proud to introduce the Boundary Waters Permanent Protection Bill in the Minnesota House. This Boundary Waters Protection bill is simply that – a bill to protect the Boundary Waters from America’s most toxic industry – hard rock mining, here in the form of sulfide-ore mining which is particularly toxic when placed alongside fresh water – of which the Boundary Waters has over 20% of the freshwater in the national forest system,” said Rep. Falconer (DFL-49A) “...This is not an anti-mining bill. This is a pro-Boundary Waters bill…” Rep. Falconer said, “A foreign mining company with plans to ship the ore to China for processing and take the profits home to Chile has no vested interest in protecting our Wilderness. The people of Minnesota, through consistent polling, have spoken: The Boundary Waters is more valuable than any amount of copper the watershed of the Boundary Waters could produce.”

“I am a lifelong visitor to the Boundary Waters. In fact, I’ve only missed my annual visit twice since 1979. It’s where I go to recharge my battery, and my personal connection and experiences to this beautiful Wilderness are why I’m incredibly proud to carry this bill, said Senator Steve Cwodzinski

“Voyageur Outward Bound School is an important part of the community and the economy in Ely and northern Minnesota. We operate year round and in the summer we employ over 100 people there…every year, we not only serve our mission but we also introduce the Boundary Waters and northern Minnesota to people from all 50 states and around the world….Our hope is that our students can bring their new found skills and knowledge back to improve their communities – to be active citizens, to be leaders of character, to work together to solve problems. But this mission would be threatened by the proposed mining near the Boundary waters,” said Jack Lee, Executive Director of Voyageur Outward Bound School

“There’s something about the Boundary Waters that breaks down barriers, it turns strangers into close friends in a matter of days…If we don’t act now, future generations won’t have the chance to learn from this place the way I did. The Boundary Waters is more than a wilderness; it's a teacher, a bond, and a home. And it deserves this bill’s protection,” said Moses Mbua, a high school senior and member of Kids for the Boundary Waters

“The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is America’s most-visited wilderness area and the crown jewel of Minnesota. It contains 1.1 million acres of clean water and intact woodlands. 70% of Minnesotans across all political backgrounds want to see the Boundary Waters permanently protected,” said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters, “The House bill, which has not yet received a number, and Senate File 875 would safeguard the watershed of the Boundary Waters by prohibiting copper mining operations on State lands in the BWCAW Watershed. The state of Minnesota has a very important role to play in protecting our state and region’s crown jewel, as the Wilderness faces unprecedented attacks at the federal level. Now is the time for state leadership on this issue."

Since the 1970s, these existing statutes have permanently banned all mining inside the BWCAW. However, sulfide-ore copper mining in the upstream headwaters of the BWCAW fails to protect the BWCAW from the irreversible damage and environmental degradation that would result from sulfide-ore copper mining on lands adjacent to the Wilderness and along lakes and rivers that flow directly into the BWCAW’s interconnected water system.

The Boundary Waters Permanent Protection Bill prohibits sulfide-ore copper mining operations on State lands in the BWCAW Watershed in Northeastern Minnesota. This bill would protect the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs National Park (VNP), and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park (Quetico) from the inevitable and devastating damage that would result from sulfide-ore copper mining pollution in the watershed. 100% of sulfide-ore copper mines have had spills or accidental releases, and pollution from proposed sulfide-ore copper mining on lands upstream of the BWCAW, VNP, and Quetico would flow directly into the system of pristine lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands in the Wilderness. The bill ONLY applies to sulfide-ore copper mining and does NOT prohibit or otherwise impact existing or future taconite, iron ore, sand, gravel, and granite mining.

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) is America’s most-visited wilderness area and the crown jewel of Minnesota. It contains 1.1 million acres of clean water and intact woodlands. The Boundary Waters Permanent Protection Bill closes a critical gap in existing state and federal statutes that mandate the permanent protection of the BWCAW from any pollution, ecosystem alteration, and risk of degradation to its air, water, forested landscape, or other natural conditions.

The Boundary Waters Permanent Protection Bill expands the existing ban on mining within the BWCAW to include the entire Rainy River Headwaters, of which the BWCAW is the downstream 50%. The Bill is supported by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's 2017 Rainy River-Headwaters Watershed Monitoring and Assessment Report, which describes the waters within the Headwaters as “immaculate." The Report concludes that "the majority of the waterbodies within this watershed had exceptional biological, chemical, and physical characteristics that are worthy of additional protection."

A vast collection of peer-reviewed science shows that if a Twin Metals mine was built along the rivers and streams flowing into the Wilderness, pollution and environmental degradation would be certain. A peer-reviewed independent study from Harvard University showed that protection of the Boundary Waters from the proposed sulfide-ore mine would result in dramatically more jobs and more income over a 20-year period.

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