Contact: Courtney Bourgoin, courtney.bourgoin@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the House of Representatives hosted a hearing on the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act -- a bill that would permanently protect more than 200,000 acres of the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota from copper, nickel and precious metals mining. The legislation would safeguard the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from toxic sulfide-ore copper pollution.
In response, Margaret Levin, Director of the Sierra Club’s North Star Chapter, released the following statement:
“The Sierra Club strongly urges Congress to pass this critical legislation to protect our public waters from toxic mining activity. Permanently protecting the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Voyageurs National Park, and their headwaters in the Superior National Forest from toxic sulfide ore mining is the right thing to do; all Minnesota watersheds and public lands must be protected from dangerous copper nickel mining."
"In a time where the climate crisis is causing an unprecedented loss of our wild lands and wildlife, we must continue to prioritize conservation of these places and the resources that our communities depend on for a sustainable future. The House and Senate must advance this legislation for the health of our environment today, and for generations to come.”