Rep. Brad Finstad and his colleagues must do more to protect Minnesota public land now and into the future.

“In our neck of the woods,” they wrote, “summer months are the best time of the year to spend time outdoors recreating, enjoying time with family, and creating new memories, but this wildfire smoke makes it difficult to do all those things.” Northern Minnesota’s natural beauty attracts millions of people who visit year-round and contribute to a robust local economy.

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If our delegation truly cares about Minnesotans’ quality of life, they must stand against a proposed provision in the 2026 appropriations bill that would reinstate a Chilean mining company’s ability to begin sulfide-ore copper mining near the Boundary Waters. It would also gut a 20-year mining ban and weaken protections in the Superior National Forest.

To add insult to injury, the copper the Chilean company is after will not stay in Minnesota or the United States. However, Minnesotans will be left with the toxic waste that will seep into the water, ground and air, poisoning plants, animals and people. Smoke from distant wildfires will be the least of our worries.

Sulfide-ore copper mining is the wrong type of mine in this special place that is the gateway to millions of acres of pristine wilderness connected by water.

Our representatives have a responsibility to protect our public land. They must vote down the provision that exploits Minnesotans with sulfide-ore copper mining.

Ilaya R. Hopkins, Rochester