Trump and Congress move to undo Biden-era mining ban in northern Minnesota

The Trump administration and Republican lawmakers are pursuing a plan to overturn President Biden's 2023 20-year mining ban on 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest. The effort centers on filing a notice in the Congressional Record and could trigger a 60-day congressional review that, if successful, would allow mining leases for Antofagasta's Twin Metals project to be reissued pending environmental reviews and permits.

The Trump administration and Republican members of Congress are moving this week to reverse a 2023 presidential ban on mining in northern Minnesota and to limit similar actions by future administrations. The ban had covered 225,504 acres of the Superior National Forest for 20 years. Officials and documents reviewed by Reuters show the plan relies on procedural steps tied to filings in the Congressional Record. The effort would affect the long-disputed Twin Metals project, which has been pursued by Chile-based Antofagasta for decades. Key details: - President Biden issued the 2023 ban in the Federal Register but did not file the corresponding notice in the Congressional Record, a step required under the Federal Lands Policy and Management Act for actions affecting more than 5,000 acres. - The Interior Department has now filed the notice and informed the U.S. House; the notice was sent to Vice President J.D. Vance for Senate consideration and is under review by the Senate parliamentarian. - If the parliamentarian approves the procedural path, Congress would have 60 days to approve or reject the ban with a simple majority vote that would not be subject to a filibuster. - Representative Pete Stauber plans to introduce legislation by Friday aimed at rejecting the mining ban; the reporting states that, if Congress and the president act, a provision in the 1996 Congressional Review Act could prevent a future president from reinstating the same ban. - If the ban is lifted, the administration could move to reissue mining leases for Antofagasta's Twin Metals unit, but any mine would still need environmental reviews and permits; no mining has taken place at the site. Summary: The move would reopen a long-running dispute over access to copper, nickel and cobalt in northern Minnesota and could allow lease reissuance for the Twin Metals project if procedural steps succeed. The immediate next steps reported are a review by the Senate parliamentarian, expected by Friday, followed by a possible 60-day congressional approval or rejection period.