"Minnesota Democrat Tina Smith held the Senate floor for hours arguing against the removal of the ban, but GOP senators were unmoved."
"WASHINGTON – Despite hours of impassioned arguments from Sen. Tina Smith, the U.S. Senate ended a Biden-era moratorium on mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness watershed.
The vote on Thursday removed a major hurdle for Twin Metals, which has battled to extract nickel, copper and other metals in Superior National Forest.
Twin Metals, which has tried to establish a mine in that area since 2019, will soon be able to request federal permits to restart work on that project after President Donald Trump, as expected, signs into law the resolution that would lift the 20-year moratorium.
The moratorium was put in place by the U.S. Forest Service in 2023 because of concerns over the environmental dangers of sulfide mining and the possible contamination of a favored destination for canoers and sportsmen."
Ana Radelat reports for MinnPost April 16, 2026.
SEE ALSO:
"Congress Kills Key Boundary Waters Protections" (Public Domain)
"Congress Overturns Biden’s Boundary Waters Mining Ban" (E&E News)
"Senate Republicans Send Trump Resolution To Lift Mining Ban Near Boundary Waters Canoe Area" (AP)
