Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection Act

This bill protects the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and connected federal lands and waters, including Voyageurs National Park, in Minnesota’s Rainy River Watershed. It would stop new mining and mineral leasing, and most other ways to take or sell federal land, across about 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest to help safeguard water, air, and forest health for current and future generations .

Existing legal rights are kept in place. The Forest Service Chief could still allow removal of sand, gravel, granite, iron ore, and taconite if it would not harm water quality, air quality, or forest habitat. The official map of the protected area must be kept on file and open to the public at Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management offices.

• Who is affected: Mining and mineral companies, and federal land managers in the Rainy River Watershed.
• What changes: No new mining claims, mineral leases, or land disposals in the protected area; limited removal of some materials may be allowed if not harmful; map available for public inspection.
• When: The protections apply once the bill becomes law; future federal land or water added inside the boundary would also be covered after enactment.