Opinion | Don’t forget ― the Boundary Waters are still under threat

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On a recent Sunday, my wife and I left the relative safety of our suburb and visited three sacred sites in Minneapolis: the shrines to Alex Pretti, Renee Good and George Floyd. Like so many other Minnesotans, we have been jarred out of our comfort and complacency by the unwanted occupation of our metro area by masked, militarized federal officers.

I have talked to many friends — mostly white suburbanites like me — who are finding it hard to concentrate at work, difficult to sleep and nearly impossible to think about anything other than the killings in our streets.

But we must. Because behind the smoke bombs and tear gas and rubber bullets (and real bullets), another assault is happening, an assault on our public lands.

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., recently introduced legislation (H.J. Res. 140) that would overturn a 20-year moratorium on mineral and geothermal leasing in Superior National Forest — that is, in the watershed of our beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. To do this, Stauber used the obscure Congressional Review Act, which not only expedites the bill through Congress, but would also prohibit any similar federal agency protections in the future.

Under questioning from his colleagues, Stauber admitted two facts that should cause every Minnesotan, whatever your political affiliation, to be shocked: 1) this mine will be owned and operated by a Chilean company, and 2) the copper from this mine will be shipped directly to China.

Think about this: If you have ever paid an entrance fee for a national park, you’ve paid more to the U.S. Treasury than any hardrock mining company. That’s because the 1872 Mining Law means hardrock mining firms are exempt from paying royalties to our government for their extraction of minerals. So you can see why mining companies are so intent on mining. It’s why they keep coming back over and over, in spite of failing permit reviews, in spite of federal moratoria, in spite of public opinion polls being heavily against them, in spite of studies showing that wilderness tourism will bring more jobs to northeastern Minnesota than mining ever will.

It’s why mining firms lobby politicians like Stauber, because for a mining company, it’s only upside. If they get permitted, they can take our copper, put it on a boat to China and deposit the money into their Chilean bank account.

On Jan. 21, Stauber’s bill was passed by the U.S. House on a mostly party-line vote and awaits action in the Senate. Minnesotans were understandably focused elsewhere at the time, watching federal forces pepper spray, assault and kill our fellow Minnesotans. Meanwhile, Stauber used an obscure parliamentary maneuver to jeopardize the BWCA.

But Minnesotans must multitask. And we can. We can both demand that ICE depart our metro area, and demand that U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith convince some of their Republican colleagues to oppose the BWCA resolution.

You’ve probably had friends from around the country ask what they can do to help us in Minnesota. Tell them to call their senators and ask them to vote against Stauber’s bill. Because when this is over, when ICE is gone, it’ll be nice to climb into a canoe and paddle the unspoiled waters of our beloved sanctuary, the BWCA.