Erik Paulsen: “I want to speak in opposition to this legislation, and here is why: it threatens Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area…”

“I want to speak in opposition to this legislation, and here is why: it threatens Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area; it stops the scientific environmental review that is going on right now; it weakens the Antiquities Act; and it singles out Minnesota's national forests as not being allowed the same environmental protections that national forests in every other State receive. Now, northern Minnesota has a rich history of taconite mining. But the mine that is being proposed on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters, America's most-visited wilderness, is a massive copper-sulfide mine, something we have no history of in Minnesota. It would threaten some of the cleanest and most pristine water and lakes in the country. Today, there is a 2-year review going on of the mining leases to analyze the risks of copper-sulfide mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters. It is based on science. It is supported by Secretary Perdue. It is supported by Secretary Zinke. And I should note that Secretary Zinke is supporting a similar review of a proposed mine in Montana that borders Yellowstone National Park. But this bill halts that scientific review and automatically grants the leases for the mine. If this becomes law, Minnesota's land and water would be singled out as not worthy of the exact same environmental review and protections that exist in every other State in the country.…”