H.R. 588: Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act

119th Congress · introduced 2025-01-21 · Public Lands and Natural Resources · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act

Plain summary

Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act This bill protects and preserves approximately 225,504 acres of federal land and waters in a specified area in the Rainy River Watershed of Superior National Forest in Minnesota from certain mining, such as sulfide-ore copper mining. (The area is upstream from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.) Specifically, the bill withdraws those acres from entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. However, the Forest Service is authorized to permit the removal of sand, granite, iron ore, and taconite from national forest system lands within such area if the removal is not detrimental to the water quality, air quality, and health of forest habitat within the Rainy River Watershed. Land or interest in land within such area that is acquired by the United States must be immediately withdrawn in accordance with this bill.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] · 42 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Sean Casten (D-IL), Judy Chu (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-IL), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Kelly Morrison (D-MN), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Melanie A. Stansbury (D-NM), Jill N. Tokuda (D-HI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Emily Randall (D-WA), Ed Case (D-HI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Mike Levin (D-CA), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Deborah K. Ross (D-NC), Salud O. Carbajal (D-CA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), André Carson (D-IN), Gabe Vasquez (D-NM), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-TX), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] reported raising $1.5 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119hr588.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/hr>

Record fed-us-cong119-hr588 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills