thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/362613-house-votes-to-overturn-obama-mining-ban-in-minnesotaThe House has overturned the temporary mining ban for the northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest. The Obama administration set the ban in place the day before President Obama's last term ended, and it stated that mining would be blocked for two years in the forest near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. This attempt to protect the waters from mine waste output was put to a stop, however, once the MINER Act was passed Thursday 216-204. The new bill would require the Forest Service to renew mining leases for sulfide ore in the forest as well. Supporters of this, such as Representative Tom Emmer, believe that the ban was a "lame-duck action", that this overturn would bring about "billions of dollars in revenue for Minnesota's economy" and that it would protect Minnesota's right to explore. Those that oppose the overturn and MINER Act, mostly Democrats, believe that this will be an environmental disaster, that the bill "undermines environmental and public land management laws", and that the wilderness area provides thousands of jobs and money without the mining that would be jeopardized with its introduction.
Our current administration continues to make decisions that will have terrible effects on the environment, including this one. We must assume that this is one of the first of many attempts the Republicans will make to promote the mining and coal industry, and we must try our hardest to fight back. The good news is that if the mining leases were renewed, proposals to start mining would still have to go through state and federal approval processes. Therefore, a great idea would be to contact officials and try to put a stop to the happenings in Minnesota before they start to spread to other states throughout the United States.
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