Senate Overturns Minnesota Mining Ban, Reviving Twin Metals Project
The U.S. Senate has voted 50-49 to overturn a 20-year ban on new mining activities across approximately 350 square miles of federal land near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area. This decision reopens the possibility for the Twin Metals copper-nickel project near Ely, Minnesota, which has been stalled for years. The measure, authored by Republican Representative Pete Stauber, had previously passed the House in January with a 214-208 vote, primarily along party lines. In the Senate, the vote saw GOP Senators Susan Collins and Thom Tillis join all Democrats in opposing the measure, while Republican Senator Josh Hawley did not participate in the vote. 
