For Immediate Release
April 12, 2024
Contact: Libby London, 612-227-8407
(Ely, MN) —The Boundary Waters Action Fund (BWAF) endorsed U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar (MN05) for reelection.
Rep. Omar joins U.S. Representative Betty McCollum (who was endorsed by BWAF earlier this week) as a Congressional Boundary Waters Champion. Rep. Omar is an original co-sponsor of Representative McCollum’s Boundary Waters Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, which would permanently protect the Wilderness from the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining.
“Rep. Omar agrees with the nearly 70% of Minnesotans who support legislation to permanently ban sulfide-ore copper mining on public lands in the Boundary Waters watershed. If re-elected, she will work to protect the Boundary Waters from the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining," said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of the Boundary Waters Action Fund. “She knows that protecting the Boundary Waters from sulfide-ore copper mining is not only the right thing to do, but also a winning political issue.”
A list of endorsed candidates can be found here.
The Boundary Waters is the most heavily visited wilderness area in the United States, attracting more than 165,000 visitors from all over the world. It is a major driver of the regional economy, supporting hundreds of businesses and thousands of jobs. A vast collection of peer-reviewed science shows that if a Twin Metals copper-nickel mine were built along the rivers and streams flowing into the Wilderness pollution and environmental degradation would be certain. A peer-reviewed independent study from Harvard University showed that protection of the Boundary Waters from a proposed Twin Metals sulfide-ore copper mine would result in dramatically more jobs and more income over a 20-year period.
Nearly 70 percent of Minnesotans support permanent protection for this priceless Wilderness area. A poll conducted by Change Research of Minnesota midterm voters finds that 7 in 10 (69%) support legislation to permanently protect Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from the threat of sulfide-ore copper mining. The poll of 1,098 2022 Minnesota voters from November 7-10, 2022 found that support for permanent protection ran high across all demographics and every region of the state.
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