Republican Rep. Pete Stauber has made mining central to his priorities.
The northeastern Minnesota congressman was one of several Republican members of Minnesota’s House delegation who were able to include amendments in the massive $895 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that passed the House largely along party lines earlier this month.
Stauber’s mining-focused amendment would require the Department of Defense to consult with federal agencies on critical mineral projects that affect national security.
And Stauber’s Superior National Forest Restoration Act also passed the House last month. It would reinstate mineral leases that President Joe Biden’s administration withdrew which total more than 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest. It follows the Biden administration’s public land order that has stopped copper and nickel mining in the Duluth Complex of the Superior National Forest.
Both of his priorities are at a standstill and are waiting to be carried over in the Senate.
Stauber says both policies would help make the country less dependent on countries like China that dominate the critical mineral supply chain to the United States and around the world. He says his Superior National Forest Restoration Act would also be a boon for the economy and Minnesota miners.
But environmental groups like the Save the Boundary Waters say Stauber’s NDAA amendment is an unnecessary layer to a review process the Department of Interior already oversees. And they believe the Superior National Forest Restoration Act would be harmful to the Boundary Waters and conservation efforts in the region.
Stauber talked about his mining legislation on Thursday. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.