[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 127 (Monday, July 20, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





  FISCAL YEAR 2021 PROHIBITION ON MINING IN THE RAINY RIVER WATERSHED

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 20, 2020

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, last week the House Appropriations 
Committee passed the Fiscal Year 2021 Interior, Environment and Related 
Agencies Appropriations bill, which I proudly authored as the Chair of 
the Subcommittee. This bill makes many critical investments in 
protecting our natural resources and contains several provisions 
designed to stop the Trump Administration from moving forward on 
disastrous environmental policies. Unfortunately, one of those 
provisions is being grossly mischaracterized by some of my colleagues 
across the aisle, and I claim this time to set the record straight.
  I included language within the Interior Appropriations bill that 
prohibits funds from the bill, for the 2021 fiscal year only, from 
being spent on reviewing or approving a mine plan within the Rainy 
River Watershed in Minnesota's Superior National Forest.
  First, let me be perfectly clear that this language does not impact 
the traditional taconite mining that takes place on Minnesota's Iron 
Range. Mines currently operating under an approved plan would not be 
affected by this language. Furthermore, there is no iron ore project 
with a mine plan under review within the entire Superior National 
Forest.
  A search of the Federal Register and the Bureau of Land Management's 
National NEPA Register show that there is only one mine plan under 
review within the Rainy River Watershed: the Twin Metals sulfide-ore 
copper mine. This proposed mine would be on the doorstep of the 
Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA), putting our nation's most visited 
wilderness at risk of toxic acid mine drainage.
  Anyone suggesting that taconite mining in the iron range is at risk 
because of this language is either misinformed or misleading their 
constituents. I crafted this language for one purpose: to stop the 
Trump Administration from rushing through a deeply flawed plan for a 
toxic sulfide-ore mine before they are voted out of office this 
November.
  Second, I want to emphasize again that this prohibition is for a 
single year of funding. Some of my colleagues have suggested that this 
prohibition would stop all future mine operations. That is simply 
untrue and suggests a misunderstanding of the way that federal 
appropriations bills work.
  This language protects the BWCA until we are able to work with a more 
trustworthy administration next year. Multiple Trump Cabinet Members 
pledged during Congressional hearings to complete the mineral 
withdrawal study in this watershed. Instead, they abandoned the 
environmental review after 20 months and have refused to release its 
results. So clearly, the Trump administration cannot be trusted to 
review the plans for a mine that could devastate the Boundary Wates 
wilderness.
  Third, some of my colleagues have claimed that stopping this mine 
plan from moving forward is depriving America of critical mineral 
resources. I can only assume that those colleagues are unaware of the 
fact that none of the minerals extracted at the Twin Metals mine will 
stay in the United States. Twin Metals is wholly owned by the foreign 
mining conglomerate Antofagasta, who will ship the copper they extract 
overseas. Earlier this month, in fact, Reuters reported that for the 
second year in a row Antofagasta has signed contracts to send the 
copper they mine to China. The Twin Metals mine will not support U.S. 
national security interests. The copper will be gone, and all Minnesota 
will be left with is millions of tons of waste rock and acid drainage.
  Finally, I want to address the claim that I somehow tried to 
``sneak'' this language into my bill. Nothing could be further from the 
truth. I proudly highlighted this provision in my statements during our 
subcommittee and full committee markup. I have also repeatedly and 
publicly informed the Trump Administration during hearings in the 
Appropriations Committee that their refusal to release the results of 
the taxpayer-funded study examining the environmental impacts of 
sulfide-ore copper mining in the Rainy River Watershed was 
unacceptable, and that any mining plans should not proceed until the 
study results were released.
  If I am trying to be sneaky about this provision, I am doing a very 
poor job, Madam Speaker.
  The people of Minnesota and America deserve a president and 
representatives that operate with transparency, respect science, and 
follow our environmental laws. I have done my best to uphold those 
values in crafting my legislation, and I look forward to working with a 
new Administration that shares those values and can be trusted with our 
natural resources.

                          ____________________