A bill that would permanently protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness from sulfide mining was introduced by Sen. Tina Smith in the U.S. Senate Wednesday. Smith’s introduction of the bill comes at a time when President Donald Trump and his administration have signaled a willingness to open the area back up to mining. “I think Minnesotans need to understand that the Boundary Waters and the Trump administration’s determination to allow this kind of mining in the Boundary Waters is a real eminent threat,” the retiring senator said in an interview. Though Smith opposes mining in this area, she stressed that she is “not opposed to all copper nickel mining, and certainly not all mining.” Republicans control both chambers of Congress, therefore, Smith knows her bill likely faces an uphill battle. Tap the link in our bio to read the full report by Sydney Kashiwagi. 📸 anthonysouffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune #outdoors #bwca #minnesota