The US Senate voted 50–49 on Thursday to overturn a Biden administration moratorium on mining near Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (a vast network of lakes, rivers, and forests and one of the most visited wild areas in the United States). The measure, which had already passed the House, repeals a 20-year ban on mining across 225,000 acres of the Superior National Forest and now goes to President Donald Trump, who is expected to sign it. The repeal clears a significant hurdle for Twin Metals Minnesota, a subsidiary of Chilean mining giant Antofagasta PLC, which seeks to build a copper and nickel mine close to the Boundary Waters, though the project still faces legal challenges and must obtain federal leases and state permits before construction can begin.