House advances bid to lift BWCAW mining ban, sends measure to Senate

The U.S. House voted to advance HJR 140 to overturn the 20-year mining ban around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness by withdrawing lands from Public Land Order 7917 under the Congressional Review Act; if the Senate approves and the president signs, the ban would be nullified, a move supporters say would unlock critical minerals from the Duluth Complex while critics warn of environmental and tribal impacts.