A canoe on Lake Hudson in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. June 2026. (KFGO News Photo / Nate Coen)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KFGO/WCCO) – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order on Tuesday morning directing state agencies to halt permitting and environmental review work for nonferrous mining projects in the Boundary Waters area as he responds to a recent move by Congress that overturned a 20-year federal ban on mining in the area.
The move by Walz directs the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to stop all permitting and environmental review work on copper-nickel mineral mining projects in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed.
“The Boundary Waters is a national treasure and home to some of Minnesota’s most pristine waters and wilderness,” said Governor Walz. “This place is deeply personal to me, to Minnesotans, and to people across the country who have paddled these waters. I am using my full executive authority to protect the waters and wildlife of the Boundary Waters and to ensure the outfitters, small businesses, and communities that depend on it continue to thrive for generations to come. It’s our duty as Minnesotans to ensure the sacred place remains wild, pristine, and unharmed.”
As part of Executive Order 26-10, Walz is directing the DNR to no longer issue any new leases or permits for nonferrous mineral mining projects in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed (RRHW). All existing nonferrous mineral leases in the RRHW must also be reviewed.
“The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a Minnesota treasure, and we have a responsibility as Minnesotans to ensure its long-term protection,” DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said. “Today’s Executive Order and the work that follows strengthen those protections.”
Walz said Tuesday morning that mining proposals threaten the region’s water and wilderness, as well as the nearly $1 billion outdoor recreation economy.
“Tim Walz, Amy Klobuchar and Democrats in the legislature continue their hostility toward Minnesota mining, taking job growth opportunities off the table before they can even go through the regulatory review process,” House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate Lisa Demuth said in a statement released Tuesday morning. “Even if Amy Klobuchar claims to oppose this move, her strongest allies in the legislature remain fiercely opposed to mining and will fight mining expansion every step of the way.”
Governor Walz is holding a 10:00 a.m. press conference on Tuesday in Afton.
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