House Votes to Unleash American Mineral Wealth

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.J. Res. 140, introduced by House Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Chairman Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), which overturns the Biden administration's withdrawal of 225,504 acres of land in the Superior National Forest from mineral exploration and development.

"Today, the House took an important step toward responsibly unlocking our nation's mineral wealth and securing our domestic mineral supply chains while ensuring the strongest environmental protections for our nation's public lands and waters. Unleashing Northern Minnesota's vast deposits of copper, cobalt, and nickel will reduce our reliance on China for the minerals that power our economy and national security. Representative Stauber is a champion for responsibly developing American mineral resources and for Minnesota's Iron Range, and I thank him for his tireless efforts to overturn President Biden's nonsensical withdrawal," said House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).

"I'm thrilled the House has passed H.J. Res. 140 to repeal Biden's illegal mining ban that locked up 225,504 acres in Northern Minnesota, directly threatening our way of life. Growing up in the Northland, I've seen firsthand how these radical policies kill jobs and hurt families. This win allows for important proposed hardrock mining and helium projects to move forward in the state and federal permitting processes. The Iron Range mined the iron ore that helped this nation win two World Wars and I am confident we'll responsibly mine the critical minerals that will allow us to compete and win in the 21st Century," said Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources Chairman Pete Stauber.

Background

The Duluth Complex in northern Minnesota is a world-class mineral deposit containing nearly 8 billion tons of critical minerals. If developed, this region could constitute 95 percent of America's nickel reserves, 88 percent of America's cobalt reserves, one-third of America's copper reserves, and 75 percent of U.S. platinum-group resources.

In January 2022, the Biden administration canceled two decades-old mineral leases held by Twin Metals Minnesota. Public Land Order (PLO 7917), signed in January 2023 by Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, withdrew 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest from federal mineral leasing for 20 years.

The Biden administration's actions spurned years of environmental review, a pending Mine Plan of Operations, and myriad comments and letters from Members of Congress, local communities, mineral developers, and union workers overwhelmingly supportive of the Twin Metals project.

In accordance with the Congressional Review Act, the resolution passed today will eliminate PLO 7917 and prevent any similar action in the future. Notably, rescinding the withdrawal itself would not mandate the project but would simply allow the environmental review process to play out.