[ST. PAUL, MN] – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN) is demanding answers from the Trump Administration regarding its recent announcement about planned executive actions to allow sulfide-ore mining in the Rainy River Watershed, where waters flow into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The only sulfide-ore mine proposed in the area would be owned by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta, a company with a questionable environmental record, and the minerals they intend to mine would be shipped overseas to be processed outside of the United States – most likely to China.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Senator Smith questions whether the Administration allowed for public input, how rigorous their review of the scientific data and information was, and why the Department is seemingly contradicting its 2022 findings, which the U.S. Forest Service maintained as recently as December 2024, that mining in the area poses a serious risk to the integrity of the Boundary Waters. She requested a response from USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins no later than August 15th.
“As you may know, significant majorities of Minnesotans believe the Boundary Waters should be protected from the risks of sulfide-ore copper mining, and the Trump Administration’s plan to allow this kind of mining in the Boundary Waters’ watershed is deeply unpopular. Also, long-standing scientific research and data – evaluated and reaffirmed by your own department – are overwhelmingly clear that sulfide-ore mining in this area poses a grave risk of polluting the Boundary Waters, potentially for generations,” wrote Senator Smith.
“Cancelling the mineral withdrawal runs counter to your own department’s analysis. Further, it ignores the will of Minnesotans. I urge you to immediately reverse course and not sell out the Boundary Waters to benefit a foreign mining company’s interests,” concluded the Senator.
Senator Smith has long pushed for a comprehensive, transparent, science-driven process for assessing the environmental impacts associated with mineral development. After years of her advocacy, a Secretarial order protecting the BWCAW from sulfide-ore mining was issued in 2023. The Trump Administration’s recent actions threaten those protections, even though the science has not changed. Smith has introduced legislation to permanently protect the Boundary Waters from sulfide-ore mining in the Senate and successfully stripped language from the President’s One Big, Beautiful Bill that would have authorized perpetual leases for Antofagasta to pursue sulfide-ore mining in the Rainy River Watershed.
The Boundary Waters is a 1,090,000-acre lake-land wilderness in Superior National Forest of Northern Minnesota enjoyed by more than 150,000 visitors every year, making it one of the most-visited wildernesses in the U.S. The unique, pristine beauty of the Boundary Waters contributes to the robust local recreation industry that employs 22% of workers in St. Louis, Cook, and Lake Counties and contributes $77 million to the local economy annually. The BWCAW sits adjacent to Minnesota’s only National Park, Voyageurs.
You can read full text of Senator Smith’s letter here or below.
Dear Secretary Rollins,
I am writing to request more information regarding your recent announcement on X that you intend to use executive action to allow sulfide-ore mining in the Rainy River Watershed. These waters flow into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, one of the most precious natural resources in this country. I’m deeply concerned that your announced plan poses a serious risk of water pollution in the Boundary Waters. With this letter, I am asking for your timely response to my specific questions about your announcement and plans for the Rainy River Watershed.
As you may know, significant majorities of Minnesotans believe the Boundary Waters should be protected from the risks of sulfide-ore copper mining, and the Trump Administration’s plan to allow this kind of mining in the Boundary Waters’ watershed is deeply unpopular. Also, long-standing scientific research and data – evaluated and reaffirmed by your own department – are overwhelmingly clear that sulfide-ore mining in this area poses a grave risk of polluting the Boundary Waters, potentially for generations. In addition, the only proposed mine in the withdrawal area would be owned not by an American company but by Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta, a company which has been previously charged with harming local ecosystems. The minerals from the mine would be shipped overseas, most likely to China. Should this mine be built, the big winner will be the shareholders of Antofagasta.
Please provide written answers to the following questions by August 15, 2025:
- Your announcement referenced a “careful review.” Please describe the process and timeline of this review, including:
- When did this review begin?
- Did you review the environmental assessment published in 2022, and on which basis did your new review agree or disagree with this assessment or its accompanying resource reports? Please be specific.
- What, if any, new data has your department collected that would change your department’s conclusions following the 2022 study?
- Please specify who was involved in the decision-making process, their role in conducting the review, and their scientific background.
- What steps have you undertaken since the announcement on X on June 11, 2025.
- Your X post mentioned “extensive public input.” Please describe in detail the scope of this new public input. For example, please also specify:
- Did the Department conduct new public input since January of 2025?
- Who conducted this public input process?
- Who was invited to provide input, how were they invited, and what form did this input take?
- How much time was given to those invited to provide input?
- Did you undertake Tribal consultation prior to your announcement?
- Please provide documentation of any new information collected in your review, including any new data and any new public input.
- Please describe what steps will be taken and when.
Cancelling the mineral withdrawal runs counter to your own department’s analysis. Further, it ignores the will of Minnesotans. I urge you to immediately reverse course and not sell out the Boundary Waters to benefit a foreign mining company’s interests.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. I look forward to thorough answers to my questions.
Sincerely,
Tina Smith
United States Senator
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