US House votes to overturn Minnesota mining ban, Senate to consider next [View all]
Source: Reuters
January 21, 2026 6:53 PM EST Updated 11 hours ago
Jan 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to overturn former President Joe Biden's mining ban in northern Minnesota, giving a boost to Antofagasta's (ANTO.L), opens new tab Twin Metals copper, cobalt and nickel project.
The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration and, if approved there, to President Donald Trump, who campaigned in 2024 on overturning Biden's 20-year block on mining across 225,504 minerals-rich acres (91,200 hectares) in the Superior National Forest. Reuters first reported earlier this month that Trump officials and legislators had launched a complex plan to reverse the ban using the novel claim that Biden had not properly informed Congress.
The Interior Department resubmitted the mining ban with the expectation that it would be rejected by Congress and Trump. Were that to occur, a future president could not replicate Biden's ban because of a provision in the 1996 Congressional Review Act (CRA).
The House voted 214 to 208 to overturn the ban, which was included in a measure sponsored by Congressman Pete Stauber, a Republican who represents northern Minnesota.
Conservationists have rejected the claim that Congress was not properly informed about Biden's move, noting it was detailed in federal publications and in letters to members of Congress. If the ban is lifted, the Trump administration would then be free to reissue mining leases to Chile-focused Antofagasta, which has been trying to develop the mine for decades on land controlled by the federal government. The mine would need to undergo an environmental review and obtain permits.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/us-house-votes-overturn-minnesota-mining-ban-senate-consider-next-2026-01-21/
= new reply since forum marked as read