HJRES 140: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to Public Land Order No. 7917 for Withdrawal of Federal Lands; Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, MN.

HJRES 140 in plain English: This resolution nullifies a 2023 Bureau of Land Management order that had withdrawn approximately 225,504 acres of National Forest System lands in Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, Minnesota, from mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years. By canceling that order, the resolution reopens those lands to mineral and geothermal energy exploration and development. The affected area includes land near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the 1854 Ceded Territory of the Lake Superior Chippewa.

Stated purpose

This resolution cancels a Bureau of Land Management order that had withdrawn about 225,504 acres of federal land in northeastern Minnesota from mineral and geothermal leasing for 20 years, reopening that land to mining and energy exploration.

Key points

• Nullifies the BLM order that banned mineral and geothermal leasing on roughly 225,504 acres in northeastern Minnesota for 20 years.
• Removes protections for lands near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Rainy River Watershed.
• Reopens the affected National Forest System lands to mineral and geothermal exploration and development.
• Reverses the 2023 order that aimed to protect the 1854 Ceded Territory of the Lake Superior Chippewa from mining impacts.

Arguments supporters make

• Reopening these lands to mining creates jobs and economic opportunity in a region that has long depended on the mining industry for its livelihood.
• Congress, not an executive agency, should have the final say over major land-use decisions affecting hundreds of thousands of acres of federal land.
• The original withdrawal was based on speculative environmental concerns, and existing environmental laws already regulate mining activity to protect water and land.

Arguments opponents make

• Removing protections puts the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the Rainy River Watershed at risk of pollution and damage that could be irreversible, harming one of the most pristine wilderness areas in the country.
• The withdrawal specifically honored treaty rights and protections owed to the Lake Superior Chippewa; canceling it undermines those commitments to tribal nations.
• A 20-year leasing ban is a measured, temporary precaution — ending it permanently forecloses a cautious approach in favor of development without further environmental review.

Tradeoffs

Reopening the land allows potential economic development and mining activity but removes environmental and cultural protections for a large wilderness watershed and tribal ceded territory; the resolution prioritizes resource access over the precautionary buffer the original order provided.

Current status in Congress: Became law.

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