Full Breakdown
Walz Executive Order Halts State Action on Nonferrous Mining Near Boundary Waters
8/19/2026, 2:12:34 AM
Core Event
On August 18 Governor Tim Walz signed Executive Order 26-10, directing the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to stop all state permitting and environmental-review work on non-ferrous mining projects in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed, the watershed that feeds the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW). The order also bars the agencies from issuing new mineral or surface leases, requires a review of every existing lease, and instructs the DNR to draft legislative language that would permanently prohibit non-ferrous mining in the watershed.
Background & Context
The federal mining moratorium that protected the BWCAW for two decades was lifted in the spring after Congress used the Congressional Review Act to overturn a 2023 mineral-withdrawal. That action opened roughly 200,000 acres of Superior National Forest to potential copper-nickel projects, most notably a proposed underground mine by Twin Metals Minnesota LLC, a subsidiary of Chile-based Antofagasta. State officials said the 1993 Minnesota mining rules were “largely protective,” but the governor argued the federal rollback threatened the wilderness and the region’s outdoor-recreation economy.
Official Statements & Responses
DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen said the agency had already concluded that the mining-siting rules needed updating to better shield the watershed from light and noise, and that allocating staff to review new proposals would be imprudent while rulemaking is pending. Representatives of Save the Boundary Waters praised the order as a safeguard against potential acid-rock drainage and heavy-metal contamination.
Criticism & Opposition
Republican Rep. Pete Stauber called the order “radical” and a “job-killing” measure that threatens thousands of union jobs and school-funding streams. MiningMinnesota executive director Julie Lucas said the governor was responding to pressure from interest groups and ignoring a six-year DNR review that found state regulations sufficient. State Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL) condemned the use of an executive order in a lame-duck period, saying it bypasses the legislative process and could jeopardize responsible mining that meets Minnesota’s high environmental standards.
On-the-Ground Reports
Local outfitters and tribal leaders welcomed the order. Carlos Hernandez, chairman of the Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, noted that protecting the watershed also protects treaty-right hunting, fishing and gathering. Sawbill Canoe Outfitters’ Clare Shirley said she supports tourism but opposes “water mining” that could pollute the region’s greatest resource.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The executive order stops state agencies from participating in permitting, but it does not prevent the federal government from issuing leases or conducting its own environmental review of the Twin Metals project. Federal permitting could therefore proceed independently of the state’s actions. The order’s directive to review existing leases does not specify any immediate cancellations, leaving the ultimate status of the Twin Metals lease uncertain.
What’s Next
The order directs the DNR to draft legislative language for a permanent mining ban, which will be presented in the agency’s budget and policy proposals and considered by the Minnesota Legislature in its next session. The executive order is set to expire 90 days after Governor Walz leaves office, meaning a future governor could rescind it. Litigation over the state’s 1993 mining rules—*Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness v. DNR*—is scheduled for resolution in state court in the coming months.
