Senator Urges Colleagues to Protect Boundary Waters from Mining

Heinrich warns of risks to wilderness area from proposed copper-nickel mine

Apr. 16, 2026 at 1:21pm

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A serene landscape painting of a tranquil lake surrounded by dense, evergreen forests, with warm, golden sunlight filtering through the trees and deep shadows cast across the water, conveying the natural beauty and solitude of the Boundary Waters wilderness area.The pristine wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area faces an uncertain future as lawmakers debate opening it up to mining interests.Washington Today

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, delivered a floor speech urging his colleagues to oppose a measure that would allow copper-nickel sulfide mining in the watershed of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). Heinrich argued the proposed mine, owned by a Chilean mining conglomerate, would be devastating to this wilderness area.

Why it matters

The Boundary Waters is a unique and pristine wilderness area that attracts millions of visitors each year. Allowing mining in the watershed could have severe environmental consequences and impact the area's delicate ecosystem. Heinrich warned that the Republican-backed measure to open up the area for mining is an unprecedented move that circumvents public input.

The details

Heinrich spoke passionately about his own family's recent trip to the Boundary Waters, which he had to miss due to being stuck in Washington fighting against a Republican budget bill that included language to strip protections from public lands. He described the Boundary Waters as an 'absolute tapestry of lakes and streams' containing 20% of all the fresh water in the entire National Forest System.

  • On April 15, 2026, Senator Heinrich delivered his floor speech urging colleagues to protect the Boundary Waters from mining.

The players

Martin Heinrich

A Democratic U.S. Senator from New Mexico and the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Antofagasta

A Chilean mining conglomerate that owns the proposed copper-nickel sulfide mine in the Boundary Waters watershed.

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What they’re saying

“It is an absolute tapestry of lakes and streams consisting of well over 1,000 individual lakes; 2,000 designated campsites; hundreds of miles of rivers and streams. The Boundary Waters contain the largest contiguous landscape of uncut forest remaining in the eastern United States. And the 3-million-acre Superior National Forest, in which the Boundary Waters sits, contains fully 20 percent of all the fresh water in the entire National Forest System—an incredible figure.”

— Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senator

“The way I look at public lands is that they are the closest, most tangible thing we have to being able to represent true Jeffersonian democracy. They are the thing—like we saw last June—that unite us across the political spectrum. And if you take these public lands away, you also tear away the places where we are most free.”

— Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senator

What’s next

The Senate is expected to vote on the measure to allow mining in the Boundary Waters watershed in the coming weeks.

The takeaway

This debate over the Boundary Waters highlights the ongoing tensions between environmental protection and resource extraction on public lands. Senator Heinrich's passionate defense of this wilderness area reflects the deep public support for preserving unique natural treasures like the Boundary Waters for future generations.