25 signatures reached
To: Minnesota's U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith
It's time: Introduce Boundary Waters Wilderness protection bill in the U.S. Senate
I’m writing to ask that you support permanently protecting the Boundary Waters watershed of the Superior National Forest from the threat of toxic mining by introducing a companion to HR 2794 (the Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act) in the US Senate.
The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the most visited National Wilderness in America. More than 160,000 annual visitors enjoy America’s only significant lakeland Wilderness, the largest Wilderness Area east of the Rockies and north of the Everglades. The Boundary Waters is 1.1 million acres of pristine and interconnected lakes, streams, rivers, marshes and boreal forest situated within the Superior National Forest. The Boundary Waters and neighboring Voyageurs National Park are vital parts of the vibrant and sustainable economic engine of northeastern Minnesota’s outdoor amenities-based economy (nearly one billion dollars annually). Antofagasta’s Twin Metals sulfide-ore copper mining project puts all this at risk. Twin Metals proposes to develop mines adjacent to and upstream of the Boundary Waters. Also at risk are downstream protected areas of Voyageurs National Park and Canada’s Quetico Provincial Park.
An exhaustive draft Environmental Assessment encompassing all the available science, economics, public health and public opinion was just completed earlier this year detailing why a sulfide-ore copper mine adjacent to, and in the watershed of, the Boundary Waters would only lead to disaster. Even Twin Metals has admitted that it cannot guarantee that the Boundary Waters will not be polluted - both in the media and during Congressional testimony.
The time has come for you, the Senators representing Minnesota, to stand with the nearly 70% of Minnesotans and with people across America who want the Boundary Waters protected for all generations to come. The environmental study concludes with a proposed 20 year ban, the most the Administration can do by law. It’s up to you to ensure that the Boundary Waters is protected forever from the most toxic industry in America. Please introduce HR 2794 in the US Senate so the Boundary Waters can be protected for all generations to come.
Why is this important?
The Boundary Waters Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota is America's most-visited Wilderness and a wildland refuge critical to people and the planet. Anishinaabe people (also known in this region as Chippewa or Ojibwe) have lived in the area for countless generations and have a deep relationship to these lands and waters. Indigenous people continue to harvest wild rice in the Boundary Waters region and maintain treaty rights to hunt, fish and gather. As sovereign nations, tribes play a central role in protecting the Boundary Waters and have called for its protection.
This wild and beautiful place is threatened by proposed sulfide-ore copper mining, but we can protect this place if enough people take action. Visit www.SavetheBoundaryWaters.org to learn more.
How it will be delivered
electronically