Congress has voted to overturn a mining ban in northern Minnesota’s Superior National Forest that was put in place in 2023 and was set to last 20 years. The measure passed the House earlier this year and then cleared the Senate by a 50 to 49 vote, sending it to President Trump, who was expected to sign it.
The original withdrawal covered 225,504 acres of federal land in the Superior National Forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. That area sits within the same broader watershed system tied to one of the most visited and closely watched wilderness regions in the country.
Overturning the ban could reopen the door for Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Antofagasta, to move closer to developing a proposed underground copper, nickel, and cobalt mine in northeastern Minnesota. The project would still need federal leases to be reissued, along with environmental review and permits, before mining could move forward.
Supporters of the reversal say domestic mining projects like this are important for U.S. supply chains, manufacturing, defense, and access to critical minerals used in products such as electric vehicles, weapons systems, AI infrastructure, and other technologies.
Opponents say sulfide ore mining in this region carries major water pollution risks because the Boundary Waters is a lake rich, interconnected wilderness landscape where contamination could spread through rivers, lakes, and wetlands. Conservation groups have argued for years that the ecological and recreation value of the area outweighs the potential benefits of mining there.
One major part of the story is that this was not a ban that had already been in effect for 20 years. It was a ban created in 2023 with a planned 20 year duration. Congress voted to overturn it before that full term played out. Reuters also reported that if the reversal is completed under the Congressional Review Act process, a future president may not be able to reissue the same kind of ban in the same way.
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