Biden Admin Signs Major Mining Ban In Northern Minnesota

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Biden administration on Thursday announced its decision to ban mining on a large swath of northern Minnesota in order to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and surrounding watershed.

The Boundary Waters in Minnesota comprise the most heavily visited wilderness area in the United States, Biden officials noted.

"The Department of the Interior takes seriously our obligations to steward public lands and waters on behalf of all Americans," said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland in a news release.

"With an eye toward protecting this special place for future generations, I have made this decision using the best-available science and extensive public input."

Haaland signed Public Land Order 7917, which bans mining on 225,000 acres in the Superior National Forest in northeastern Minnesota.

According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, the public land order will protect the region from adverse impacts of new mineral and geothermal exploration and development.

More than 150,000 visitors from around the world every year are drawn to Minnesota Boundary Waters, according to federal data.

The area includes more than 1,200 miles of canoe routes, 12 hiking trails, and 2,000 designated campsites, and contributes up to $17.4 million annually to the economies of northern Minnesota, federal officials said.