Minnesota Iron Range Rep. had House Repubicans pass a bill against protecting the Boundary Waters Wilderness.

 Strib's Editorial Board collectively published the op-ed:

U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber has served clear and troubling notice that preserving the Minnesota's beloved Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness could hinge on the outcome of this fall's elections.

All voters who care about safeguarding this fragile, watery wilderness should be aware of the threat posed by reckless legislation pushed through the House by the Republican Eighth District congressman.

The bill, HR 3195, is misleadingly dubbed the "Superior National Forest Restoration Act." It sounds environmentally friendly. It's anything but. A more accurate name for the bill would be: "Pandering to Chilean Billionaires Act."

Yes, Pete favors them over us, over a stinking little handful of ephemeral jobs which carry the risk of likely environmental disaster, of the worse irreparably lasting kind imagianable. Great short term "protect the seat and paycheck and benefits" effort, Pete. 

You're special.

Strib adds:

This is an outcome that would greatly benefit Antofagasta, the Chilean mining conglomerate that owns Twin Metals Minnesota. Antofagasta, in turn, is controlled by the Luksics, South America's wealthiest family.

They have enough already -

Antofagasta seeks to open an underground copper-nickel mine just outside the BWCA but on the edge of a lake that drains into the wilderness. That's a serious problem when the copper mining industry worldwide has an appalling track record of pollution. Copper-nickel mining is also new to Minnesota and carries different risks than our more familiar taconite operations.

In 2019, the Star Tribune Editorial Board's "Not this mine, not this location" special report spotlighted the risks to the BWCA's fragile, intertwined waters from potential mining pollution. The report also called for permanent copper-mining protections in the BWCA's watershed. While mining cheerleaders argue that new technology will minimize risks to the BWCA, responsible stewardship of this natural treasure requires zero risk of pollution in its headwaters.

Can things be said any more clearly? Don't do it. Don't go there, its disaster awaiting from day one, if it gets crammed down as Stauber would want.

The truth is - Stauber should show some decency toward the earth and those wishing to shepherd its sane survival. Ditto for his partner in pandering, Sixth District incumbent Tom Emmer (as good a legislator as he was a hockey player, which says, highly mediocre on both scores). Emmer prospers based upon district demographics, not capability. The pair is doom, if not held in check.

And, we have an election coming - one where holding bad actors in check is a key thread, as Strib's Editorial Board mentioned in continuing its sane opinion:

In January 2023, the Biden administration issued a public land order that effectively bans copper-nickel mining on 225,504 acres of federally owned land in the BWCA watershed for 20 years. As the Editorial Board noted then, it was a landmark step to ensure future generations can enjoy this rare, unspoiled natural gem.

The public land order also stands in commendable contrast to the Trump administration's efforts to ram through the Antofagasta mine in secrecy, with little regard for science or risks to the BWCA.

There is no better reason to reelect Joe Biden, this one being absolutely sufficient all by itself. And the oped noted things online in a timely way -- just as the porn actor hush money saga of Donald J. Trump unfurls. One man, responsible and in office. The other - a trainwreck with no redeemable social value and repugnant to an unmatched degree. That repugnant, without even trying hard to be so. Repugnance is in Trump's DNA.

So - Reelect Joe. That is a major part of the message: With the Boundary Waters otherwise at risk of bad exploitation and ruin - reelect Joe. 

Do it.