04/17/2026
Yeah. We're more concerned about this than VA's Governor doing what should have been done years ago.
Conservatives, the ones who still follow trump, need to be more angry. Our National Parks & Public Lands are under threat and yes it can/will eventually affect you. You, who loves to fish around public lands around Appalachia and beyond, who also loves hunting & fishing and enjoying the nature that *we all love.* All of that can be destroyed if we let these folks destroy the beautiful landscapes that mean so much to us. Public land belongs in public hands. Not torn down and bulldozed/blown up for finite resources or sold off to the private markets.
This morning, 50 Republican Senators voted in favor of H.J. Res. 140, using the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn a copper mining ban in the watershed of the Boundary Waters, Minnesota.
The bill passed with the smallest possible margin 50-49, with only two Republicans voting no (Susan Collins and Thom Tillis).
This is bad. āThis is a dark day for the Senate,ā Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) said during his remarks this morning. āThis is nuts.ā
This was the biggest public lands fight of the year so farāthe consequences of this use of the CRA will ripple through public lands policy and legislation for decadesāand hundreds of thousands of taxpaying, outdoor-loving Americans just lost against the lobbying power of a Chilean mining multinational.
The Republicans today voted against American small businesses. They voted against clean water and wildlife. They voted to decimate a $1.1 billion recreation economy. Their votes now threaten many of the 17,000 jobs in the local tourism industry. They voted against hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, and paddling. In a very real way, 50 Republicans today voted against life.
"Beloved by people from every corner of the country, the Boundary Waters inspires overwhelming public support for its protection," said Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters.
"No matter what happens in DC, that support wonāt waver. People will continue to stand up and say: not this mine, not this placeāand we will fight alongside them, as long as it takes."
Read the full story here: https://ourpubliclandsandwaters.substack.com/p/republicans-pass-pollution-bill-that