UPDATED WITH NEW LETTER TO CONGRESS: Here’s what’s next for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 1JUL26

 

We may have won this round, but we need your help to keep the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument protected. TAKE ACTION   HALF way through the second year of his ( most unfortunate ) second term it seems that NOT MY pres drumpf / trump, his corrupt drumpf / trump-vance administration and the gop / greed over people-republican party is realizing they will probably lose their ability to eliminate laws, restrictions and regulations protecting American public lands after the 2026 midterm elections. Fascist fotze trunt Rep celeste maloy r-UT with fascist fotze trunt Sen mikie lee r-UT, both ass-licking drumpf / trump sycophants, lost their chance to give the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument to their corporate masters. They are still searching for a way to deliver to the rich individuals and corporations who have bought them. Please sign the petition from EarthJustice to congress to tell them to protect our public lands, all of our National Monuments, National Parks and Forest and Wilderness Areas. Please find the time to e mail your representative and senators telling them to protect America from being raped and pillaged by the this administration and their corporate, billionaire and mega millionaire masters. My e mails will be at the end of this post. If you don't think these actions do any good consider these from EarthJustice.... You level the playing field. Elected officials pay attention when they see that we are paying attention.  They may be hearing from industry lobbyists left and right, but hearing the stories of their constituents — that’s your power. Our legislators serve at the pleasure of the people who gave them their job — you. Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. When you contact your elected official, you’re putting a face and a name on an issue. Whether or not you voted for them, they work for you, for the duration of their term. Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. (Find your local, state, and federal elected officials.) Loved by Utah residents and people across the country, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was established 30 years ago to protect the geological and ecological resources within its 1.9 million-acre boundaries in southern Utah. But since Trump’s inauguration, attacks on precious national monuments and other public lands have grown more frequent. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) has tried to abuse the arcane Congressional Review Act to fast-track an attack on Grand Staircase-Escalante. The CRA resolution would undo the monument management plan, leading to chaos on the ground. Thanks to your advocacy, the 60-day window that would have allowed a CRA resolution to pass the Senate with just 51 votes has ended. Now, Sen. Lee would need 60 votes to pass his misguided resolution – making the path toward passage highly unlikely. This is a moment to celebrate, but that doesn’t mean that the threat to Grand Staircase-Escalante is over. Senator Lee has already said that while this CRA pathway is no longer available, his focus on the issue remains unchanged. You joined over 36,900 supporters in sending over 200,000 letters and over 200 calls to tell Congress to reject this attack. Thank you. But we need your help again to ensure that Congress rejects any future attacks on Grand Staircase-Escalante or other national monuments. Growing influence from extractive industry threatens monuments like Grand Staircase-Escalante and other public lands that belong to us all. This follows a pattern Earthjustice is seeing of administrative and legislative attacks, like the recission of the Roadless Rule, the withdrawal of the 20-year mining ban on the Boundary Waters, and the opening up of marine monuments to commercial fishing. Thank you for your advocacy. President Trump and his allies have tried to attack national monuments before, but we’ve taken them to court and pushed back through our advocacy. We know this fight is winnable and we need you with us. Tell Congress to reject future attacks on Grand Staircase-Escalante and other national monuments across the country. TAKE ACTION   . Sincerely, Blaine Miller-McFeeley Sr. Legislative Representative

Thank you for your support of Earthjustice. $2:$1 MATCH: TRIPLE MY GIFT   Earthjustice, 180 Steuart St #194330, San Francisco, CA 94105 About Us   Delivered to you by Earthjustice. Your support makes the difference. Photo Credits: The vast and austere landscape of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument offers a spectacular array of scientific and historic resources. Encompassing 1.9 million acres, the Monument was created in 1996 by presidential proclamation – the first monument entrusted to BLM management. (Bob Wick / BLM)  © 2026

MY E MAILS TO REP SUBRAMANYAM D-VA 10TH, SEN WARNER D-VA AND SEN KAINE D-VA

HALF way through the second year of his ( most unfortunate ) second term it seems that NOT MY pres drumpf / trump, his corrupt drumpf / trump-vance administration and the gop / greed over people-republican party is realizing they will probably lose their ability to eliminate laws, restrictions and regulations protecting American public lands after the 2026 midterm elections. The time to invoke a CRA on Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument has expired but there are a majority of the fascist gop/greed over people-republican party and too many DINOS in congress who have been bought and paid for by the rich and corporate America who are working to open our Wilderness Areas, National Parks and National Monuments and National Forest to be defiled, raped and pillaged by greedy American and international corporations to increase their profit margins. I expect you to defend America's public lands from exploitation and corporate greed now and for future generations. Please work with the entire Virginia delegation and congressional leadership to make sure all are defending our public lands.

Thank you,

TAKE ACTION: Stop Congress from selling out the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park & Antofagasta fined for non-compliance 13APR&26JAN26

 THE greedy, corrupt drumpf / trump-vance administration and the gop / greed over protecting parks-republican party controlling congress is still attempting to grant carte blanche to  antofagasta / twin metals, a Chilean company with a poor environmental record for a toxic copper-nickel mine that WILL pollute the Boundary Waters Canoe Waters Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park, WILL leave the cost of cleanup for the American taxpayers, WILL create jobs at Chinese smelters and WILL be sold on the world market, adding to antofagasta's / twin metal's profits. PLEASE contact your senators and tell them to stop HJ 140, this mine must not be approved. From EarthJustice and Save The Boundary Waters. My e mails are at the end of this post.....

Corporate polluters are taking aim at one of North America’s most treasured landscapes. TAKE ACTION   One of America’s most visited wilderness areas is facing a full-on assault by the mining industry’s allies in Congress. If corporate polluters get their way, a 20-year mining ban protecting the Boundary Waters watershed from toxic copper mining will be overturned. Write to your senators now to oppose this dangerous resolution. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota is a vast network of over 1,000 lakes and unspoiled forests stretching across more than one million acres. Generations of visitors have canoed, camped, and hiked along the area’s 1,200 miles of rivers and streams. It’s also just upstream of where Chilean mining giant Antofagasta wants to build the toxic Twin Metals copper-nickel mine. If built, the Twin Metals mine could mean the permanent destruction of habitat for hundreds of species like wolves, moose, loons, lynx, and walleye. As climate change shrinks our planet’s biodiversity, we can’t afford to lose the Boundary Waters — or the thousands of jobs it sustains for the region’s outdoor tourism economy. For years, conservationists, hunters, anglers, small business owners, and local residents have fought to protect this precious wilderness. Now, members of Congress are trying to gut those protections, using a questionable maneuver that bypasses the normal democratic process and ignores the voices of Americans. If this resolution passes, it will mean prioritizing the profits of a Chilean mining company over our beloved public lands. Amid the attacks on Minnesota’s residents and clean waters, our partners continue to remind us that the Boundary Waters and all our public lands are worth fighting for. Remind your senators that they work for their constituents and not corporations. We must keep protections for the Boundary Waters in place. TAKE ACTION   Sincerely, Blaine Miller-McFeeley Senior Legislative Representative

Thank you for your support of Earthjustice $2:$1 MATCH: DONATE NOW   Earthjustice, 180 Steuart St. #194330, San Francisco, CA 94105-5741 About Us  Delivered to you by Earthjustice. Your support makes the difference. Photo Credits: Canoeing the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Northern Minnesota. (Brad Zweerink / Earthjustice) © 2025

Antofagasta fined for non-compliance

Three year anniversary of 20-year mining ban 

Today is the 3-year anniversary of the 20-year mining ban on lands upstream of the Boundary Waters. On January 26, 2023, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland signed  Public Land Order 7917, which bans sulfide-ore copper mining on 225,504 acres of Superior National Forest land upstream of the Boundary Waters. This was a historic win for the Boundary Waters and those who seek to protect it.

However, earlier this month, Rep. Pete Stauber introduced a Joint Resolution that uses the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the 20-year Boundary Waters mining ban. This maneuver is an unprecedented attempt to overturn a Mineral Withdrawal using the CRA. Ultimately, if successful, this move would pave the way for Twin Metals, a Chilean-owned company, to proceed with its mining leases to build a copper mine on Birch Lake near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Pollution from this mine would flow directly into the Wilderness, impacting all downstream landscapes, including Quetico Provincial Park and Voyageurs National Park. Joint Resolution (H.J. 140) passed through the House Rules Committee on January 20 and the House floor on January 21. This bill now moves to the Senate. 

 Contact your Senators now

 

Antofagasta fined for non-compliance 

Proponents of this mine say they will use the “best technology” and “follow Minnesota’s strict environmental standards.” Yet, on Friday, January 23, the Chilean mining giant Antofagasta Minerals was fined about $775,000 for failing to comply with regulations at its Centinela copper mine. 

Antofagasta is the parent company of Twin Metals, the company trying to open a toxic copper-nickel mine next to America’s most visited Wilderness. Antofagasta Chile’s environmental regulator said “the company did not keep proper track of water resources and did not follow the monitoring rules outlined in the ‘El Tesoro’ project's environmental impact study and an additional monitoring plan.” 

And let’s be clear, no copper mining has ever been conducted in Minnesota, and has never been done safely. A recent study of copper mines analyzes eight operating mines alongside two proposed mines in Northeastern Minnesota. The study found that even under today’s mining regulations, all eight hardrock mines across the United States are consistently polluting rivers, lakes, and groundwater.

Antofagasta also has a history of pollution and dishonesty, for example:

• Antofagasta's mine in Chile cut off the flow of the nearby waterway, robbing a town of fresh water and endangering the residents. Even after villagers won a lawsuit against the company and the Chilean Supreme Court ordered the removal of the mining dam, Antofagasta used its power to defeat the villagers and keep its controversial mining dam in place — cutting off the water from the people. [1]
• Antofagasta has been implicated in a number of bribery and corruption scandals. [2]
• They’ve spent over $1 million lobbying Congress to secure mining leases, prioritizing profits over pristine waters.

The ore would also likely be shipped to China for smelting and processing, as the US has limited smelter capacity, and be sold on the world market. This is why we cannot let a foreign-owned mining company mine next to America’s most visited Wilderness.

 

What’s next?

Next, the resolution moves to the Senate, where:

1. The Senate Parliamentarian will rule on whether the CRA can be used to challenge mineral withdrawals.
2. The full Senate will vote on the resolution.
3. If the resolution passes and is signed by the President, the 20-year mining ban will be overturned.
4. This paves the way for the Administration to issue mineral leases in the Boundary Waters watershed.

What you can do: Contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose this resolution. We need calls coming in from across the country. We also encourage you to share 

 

Contact your Senators now

 

More resources:

Bill passed House to overturn Mining ban near Boundary Waters | Save the Boundary Waters 
Understanding 20-Year Federal Protections and What’s Next | Save the Boundary Waters
Antofagasta: The Chilean mining giant rushing to ruin the Boundary Waters | Savethe Boundary Waters
Chilean regulator fines Antofagasta's Centinela copper mine for non-compliance | Reuters

1. Brook, J. (2021, August 30). In foothills of Chilean Andes, a mining dam set off a years-long battle with residents. Miami Herald.
2. Reuters (2015, February 10). Chilean president’s family caught up in loan scandal. Reuters.com.

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MY E MAILS TO SEN WARNER D-VA & SEN TIM KAINE D-VA

I’m reaching out as your constituent to ask that you protect the nation’s most visited wilderness area, the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota, from permanent and irreversible mining pollution. 

The Boundary Waters and downstream Voyageurs National Park are currently protected by Public Land Order 7917, the 20-year mineral withdrawal banning copper mining on federal public lands in the headwaters of these beloved wild lands. This mineral withdrawal was based on the U.S. Forest Service’s comprehensive environmental assessment, which concluded that sulfide-ore copper mining near the Boundary Waters would cause irreversible harm to the ecosystem and downstream Voyageurs National Park. The analysis completed by the Forest Service in 2022 included 675,000 public comments from across the country, over 95% of which favored protecting the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs from sulfide-ore copper mining.  

In early January, a resolution to overturn this Public Land Order (7917) under the Congressional Review Act was introduced despite public land orders having never been deemed a rule subject to the CRA. Instead, public land orders are dictated by the Federal Land Management and Policy Act of 1976, and all procedures under that statute were followed. I ask you to vote no on H.R. Res. 140, which would blatantly ignore the voices of the American people and prioritize the profits of a foreign mining company.  

Twin Metals is a Chilean-owned mine that would ship its product abroad to be processed and sold offshore. Studies consistently show that protecting the Boundary Waters generates stronger and more sustainable economic benefits than short term and toxic sulfide-ore copper mining. Allowing copper mining to proceed in this watershed risks killing the outdoor recreation economy in northeastern Minnesota, which supports over 17,000 jobs and contributes more than $1 billion in annual sales. 

Each year, more than 150,000 people travel to the Boundary Waters to canoe in the summer and go dog sledding and ice fishing in the winter. It contains over a million acres and more than 1,000 lakes, and its expanse is dotted with hundreds of miles of hiking trails and designated campsites. For generations, this place has offered Midwesterners and Americans across the country the opportunity for world-class recreation and fostered a deep connection to nature. 

 America’s Canoe Country – the Boundary Waters and adjoining Voyageurs National Park – exemplify the best of our nation’s heritage. These areas must remain protected so that future generations can access and enjoy them.  

Please vote against this joint resolution and do not sell out our wilderness to Chilean mining giant Antofagasta against the will of Minnesotans and Americans who want our public lands preserved. 

Thank you for considering this important request.