St. Paul Reporter

Rep. Betty McCollum, a member of the U.S. Congress representing Minnesota's 4th district, has expressed her concerns regarding environmental protection and mining activities in Northern Minnesota through a series of tweets dated January 21, 2025. The tweets highlight the actions taken by the U.S. Forest Service and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland to protect federal lands and lakes in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) headwaters, as well as the threats posed by mining interests.

In a tweet from January 21, 2025, Rep. McCollum stated that "In 2023, the U.S. Forest Service conducted an extensive environmental assessment and concluded it was in the public interest to protect 225,000 acres of federal lands and lakes in the BWCA’s headwaters. Interior Secretary Haaland then issued a 20-year ban on new mineral leasing."

On the same day, she highlighted ongoing threats to this region: "But this Northern Minnesota treasure is under threat. A Chilean mining conglomerate has aggressively & relentlessly pursued mineral permits to mine this watershed for copper, which it sells to China to smelt. This has never been done safely. It would destroy the water forever."

Rep. McCollum further announced her legislative efforts with another tweet on January 21, 2025: "So today, I'm re-introducing this critical legislation — not because I think Donald Trump will change his mind, but because we must never, ever give up this fight. Some places are simply too precious to mine."