Photo: Josh Hild on Unsplash.com

By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - January 22, 2026

On January 21, 2026, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.J. Res. 140, a resolution that proposes canceling a 20-year federal mineral withdrawal in northern Minnesota, issued by the Biden Administration in January 2023. The resolution seeks to reopen over 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest in Cook, Lake, and St. Louis counties to mining. The resolution passed with a final vote of 214 ayes, 208 nays, during a voice vote, and then a requested formal recorded vote. 

The House first passed H. Res. 1009, the procedural "rule" that determined the conditions for the debate on H.J. Res. 140. This rule established a "closed" process, meaning no amendments could be offered on the floor. It also allowed one hour of general debate and provided the minority party with one motion to recommit, a final procedural opportunity to send the resolution back to committee before a vote.

Following the vote, Representative Pete Stauber said in a press release: "I'm thrilled the House has passed H.J. Res. 140 to repeal Biden's illegal mining ban that directly threatened our way of life. Growing up in the Northland, I've seen firsthand how these radical policies kill jobs and hurt families. This win allows for important proposed hardrock mining and helium projects to move forward in the state and federal permitting processes. The Iron Range mined the iron ore that helped this nation win two World Wars, and I am confident we'll responsibly mine the critical minerals that will allow us to compete and win in the 21st Century."

Critics of the resolution argue that the ban is essential for watershed protection. 

Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) criticized the vote in a Facebook post, stating: "The BWCA is our nation’s most-visited wilderness area, and its headwaters should be protected from toxic mining. Instead of protecting this national treasure, Republicans voted to put one of the largest reserves of freshwater in the world in the direct path of acid mine drainage."

The resolution now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration. If the resolution is approved by the Senate and signed by the President, it would immediately void Public Land Order (PLO) 7917. Under the Congressional Review Act (CRA), the Department of the Interior would also be legally barred from issuing any "substantially similar" withdrawal in that area in the future without new authorization from Congress.