Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
The bill withdraws approximately 225,504 acres of Federal land and waters in the Rainy River Watershed of the Superior National Forest (Boundary Waters area) from public land disposal, mining laws, and mineral leasing, subject to valid existing rights.
The Forest Service Chief may permit removal of sand, gravel, granite, iron ore, and taconite only if that removal is not detrimental to water quality, air quality, and forest habitat.
The bill requires the map and boundary figure to be kept on file and publicly available in Forest Service and BLM offices.
Narrow, administratively simple conservation measure with low fiscal cost but high local controversy over mining makes enactment possible but uncertain.
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused substantive land-use statute that clearly defines the withdrawal area and legal effects and identifies the responsible agency for a narrow exception. It integrates explicitly with existing statutory categories and references authoritative mapping and assessment documents.
Liberals emphasize long-term conservation and water protection.
Liberals emphasize long-term conservation and water protection.
Generally supportive because the bill protects the Boundary Waters and connected federal lands and waters from broad mineral leasing and mining claims.
Concerned about the permitted-extraction carve-out and the phrase “not detrimental,” which may be used to allow large-scale mining under weak standards.
Supportive of protecting the watershed and clarifying boundaries, but cautious about economic and legal tradeoffs.
Will want clearer criteria for the extraction exception, predictable permitting, and attention to local economic impacts.
Likely opposed because the bill withdraws a large area from resource development and increases federal control over land use.
Views the withdrawal as harmful to jobs, local economic opportunity, and property-rights expectations.
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Still ahead
Still ahead
Still ahead
Narrow, administratively simple conservation measure with low fiscal cost but high local controversy over mining makes enactment possible but uncertain.
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
Liberals emphasize long-term conservation and water protection.
Narrow, administratively simple conservation measure with low fiscal cost but high local controversy over mining makes enactment possible b…
Relative to its intended legislative type, this bill is a focused substantive land-use statute that clearly defines the withdrawal area and legal effects and identifies the responsible agency for a narrow exception. It…
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