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[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
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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.
____________________