"Partisanship trumped common ground on conservation in the long-simmering fight over a proposed mine in northern Minnesota."

"The House of Representatives voted 214 to 208 Wednesday to open up hundreds of thousands of federal acres to mining near the border of Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

The vote marked a major test of whether the House Public Lands Caucus would speak with a unified voice on conservation issues, despite its gaping partisan divide. The Public Lands Caucus launched back in May, vowing to “work across the aisle to advance policies for the conservation of and public access to public lands.”

But on a contentious issue pitting conservation against industrial development, the Public Lands Caucus voted entirely on partisan lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favor and all 11 Democrats voting against."

Chris D'Angelo and Roque Planas report for Public Domain Januaey 21, 2026. [2]