Signal Minnesota Governor Walz Signs Executive Order to Block Copper Mining Near Boundary Waters

Summary

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order on August 18, 2026 aimed at blocking copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, directing the state Department of Natural Resources and Pollution Control Agency to halt all permitting and environmental review for nonferrous mineral mining in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed and to review existing leases. The action comes four months after Congress voted to overturn a two-decade federal ban on mining in the area, a move that revived Twin Metals' proposed copper-nickel-cobalt mine near Ely and Babbitt. Walz's office cited the region's nearly $1 billion outdoor recreation economy and said protecting the watershed was a duty to current and future Minnesotans. Environmental advocates including Save the Boundary Waters praised the order, while Republicans, including Rep. Pete Stauber who authored the legislation overturning the federal ban, called it a spiteful attack on Iron Range workers. Because it is a temporary executive action rather than permanent legislation, the policy could be reversed by Walz's successor, and legal challenges from mining interests are considered likely.