Today, Governor Walz took executive action to protect the Boundary Waters watershed from sulfide ore mining.
The Sierra Club North Star Chapter thanks Governor Walz for standing up for water, wilderness, and Minnesotans. We also thank the hundreds of thousands of Americans who for years have been speaking out to protect these waters. This is a win for all of us today and for future generations. This historic action sets an important precedent for our next governor and future state legislation.
Governor Walz’s executive order:
- Stops all permitting and environmental review work on sulfide ore (nonferrous mineral) mining projects in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed - which includes the Boundary Waters.
- Directs the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to not issue any new leases or permits for sulfide ore mining in the watershed and to review all existing nonferrous mineral leases in the watershed to ensure that the BWCAW is protected for generations to come.
- Directs the DNR to draft legislative language to permanently prohibit sulfide-ore mining in the watershed.
- You can read Governor Walz’s press release here.
What the order doesn’t do:
- Notably, this order only lasts 90 days after Governor’s Walz last day. I.e., in April our next Governor will need to renew it. But it sets a precedent for our next governor and builds momentum towards future protections from sulfide mining in other parts of Minnesota.
- This executive order only impacts the Rainy River watershed, which includes the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park. We know that the inherent risks of sulfide-ore mining are too dangerous for all of Minnesota’s watersheds.
- Threats from the same kind of sulfide-ore mining in other watersheds remain, including proposals from:
- PolyMet/NewRange mine in the Lake Superior watershed
- Talon mine in the Mississippi River watershed.
We know that sulfide ore mining carries inherent risks from sulfate and mercury pollution. If it’s too dangerous for the Boundary Waters, it’s too dangerous for our other treasured watersheds like Lake Superior and the Mississippi River. We will keep fighting for all our waters. And together we can keep going to protect all our waters, through legislation like: the Boundary Waters Permanent Protection act, the Taxpayer Protection act, the 'Bad Actor bill, and Prove it First.
Today we celebrate this as a major protection for our water, America’s most visited wilderness, and all those whose culture and livelihoods depend on it.
“I’m proud and grateful to be a Minnesotan, where we fight for clean water and wilderness. Thank you Governor Walz for setting precedent and taking action to protect our state, and nation’s, cherished Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness,” Margaret Levin, State Director Sierra Club North Star Chapter.
