Senate votes to end ban on mining near the Boundary Waters

Zoom in: The legislation, which passed 50-49 and now heads to President Trump's desk, applies to about 350 square miles of the Superior National Forest — land that's south of the Boundary Waters but within its watershed, per MPR News.

What they're saying: U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), a co-sponsor of the resolution in the House, said Thursday that ending the 2023 ban is a "major victory" for workers and efforts to "responsibly source" critical minerals in the U.S.

• Top Minnesota Democrats and conservation groups decried the move, saying mining near the Boundary Waters poses serious risks to the deeply cherished network of lakes and forests.

The bottom line: The proposal from Twin Metals, a subsidiary of a Chilean mining company, still needs to clear federal and state permitting processes.

• That means a final decision is likely still years away.