Animals 4Ever: ACT NOW: Two bills threaten BWCAW and Lake Superior | Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Monday, November 27, 2017

ACT NOW: Two bills threaten BWCAW and Lake Superior | Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness

Dear friend,

Please make one critical phone call to protect the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior today. The House of Representatives is planning to vote this week on two bills that threaten Minnesota's public lands. Our elected officials need to hear that both of these bills are unacceptable and that they should vote "no."

Call 202-224-3121, choose House of Representatives, enter your zip code and you will be connected to your representative's office.

H.R. 3905, sponsored by Representative Tom Emmer, would reinstate the Twin Metals mineral leases on the edge of the Boundary Waters. These leases were denied by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management due to the environmental risk they pose to the Wilderness. H.R. 3905 would reverse this decision. The bill also would not allow a mineral withdrawal to protect the BWCAW from the risks of sulfide mining pollution unless it is approved by Congress.

H.R. 3115, sponsored by Representative Rick Nolan, would lock in a sweetheart deal for PolyMet Mining. PolyMet wants over 6,000 acres of public land exchanged for its proposed open pit sulfide mine. Thousands of acres of irreplaceable wetlands at the headwaters of Lake Superior were valued for exchange at $550 per acre, five times less than what other mining companies have paid. There are currently four lawsuits pending. If H.R. 3115 passes, PolyMet gets the land they want at bargain basement prices with no chance for court review.

Tell your representative to vote "no" on H.R. 3905 and H.R. 3115. Remind your representatives how much the Boundary Waters and Lake Superior mean to Minnesota and the American public. Tell them these bills would threaten two national treasures, establish terrible precedents that inappropriately favor industry, and remove fundamental environmental protections afforded to the rest of the country.

Thank you for all you do to help protect the BWCAW and our public lands.

Sincerely,

Jane Reyer
Advocacy Director

P.S. You can also contact your elected officials to share your concerns via email. Type in your house number, street and zip code to pull up a form to contact your representative to oppose H.R. 3905 and H.R. 3115 today.