SEEC Decries Attack on America’s Most Visited Wilderness

Washington, D.C. – The leaders of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC), including Co-Chairs Reps. Doris Matsui, Mike Quigley, and Paul Tonko and Vice Chairs Reps. Don Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Sean Casten, Mike Levin, and Chellie Pingree, released the following statement in response to the House passage of the Congressional Review Act resolution (H.J.Res. 140) to overturn mining protections for Minnesota’s pristine Boundary Waters and Superior National Forest. 

“This week, House Republicans continued to abuse their power and use their majority in Congress to choose polluters over the American people. House Republicans are celebrating that they just voted to gut pollution protections for one of America’s most visited and iconic wilderness areas, opening the back door for mining companies to freely pollute our waters.  

“The Boundary Waters region is an economic engine for northeastern Minnesota, driving a $13 billion domestic tourism industry that supports 17,000 local jobs. Yet, with this vote today, Republicans made it clear that they don’t care about local jobs. They’d rather give a foreign-owned mining company a free pass to build a dangerous and reckless mine. This would irreversibly damage the uniquely connected network of 1,000 lakes and 1,200 miles of rivers and streams within the Boundary Waters in Minnesota, jeopardizing the numerous benefits this unique ecosystem provides.

“The Boundary Waters belong to the American people, not to corporations that want to strip our public lands of its natural resources to be shipped abroad.”