119-s1366

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1366 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1366

 To protect, for current and future generations, the Boundary Waters 
 Canoe Area Wilderness and interconnected Federal land and waters, 
including Voyageurs National Park, within the Rainy River Watershed in 
 the State of Minnesota, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 9, 2025

 Ms. Smith introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To protect, for current and future generations, the Boundary Waters 
 Canoe Area Wilderness and interconnected Federal land and waters, 
including Voyageurs National Park, within the Rainy River Watershed in 
 the State of Minnesota, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Boundary Waters Wilderness 
Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. WITHDRAWAL OF CERTAIN FEDERAL LAND AND WATERS IN THE STATE OF 
 MINNESOTA.

    (a) 

=== Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map attached to Public 
 Land Order No. 7917 (88 Fed. Reg. 6308 (January 31, 2023)).

    (2) Boundary.--The term ``Boundary'' means the boundary 
 labeled ``Withdrawal Application Boundary'' in the legend of 
 the figure entitled ``Withdrawal application area'' and 
 identified as figure 1, as included in the environmental 
 assessment prepared by the Forest Service entitled ``Rainy 
 River Withdrawal Environmental Assessment'' and dated June 
 2022.

    (b) Withdrawal.--Except as provided in subsection
            (c) , subject to 
valid existing rights, the approximately 225,504 acres of Federal land 
and waters in the Rainy River Watershed of the Superior National Forest 
in the State of Minnesota, as depicted on the Map (including any land 
or waters or interest in land or waters that are acquired by the United 
States after the date of enactment of this Act within the Boundary), 
are withdrawn from--

    (1) all forms of entry, appropriation, and disposal under 
 the public land laws;

    (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and

    (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, 
 and geothermal leasing laws.
            (c) Removal of Sand, Gravel, Granite, Iron Ore, and Taconite.--The 
Chief of the Forest Service may permit the removal of sand, gravel, 
granite, iron ore, and taconite from National Forest System land within 
the area withdrawn under subsection

    (b) if the Chief of the Forest 
Service determines that the removal is not detrimental to the water 
quality, air quality, and health of the forest habitat within the Rainy 
River Watershed.
            (d) Availability of Map and Figure.--The Map and the figure 
depicting the Boundary shall be kept on file and made available for 
public inspection in the appropriate offices of the Forest Service and 
the Bureau of Land Management.
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