House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) criticized Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s recent executive order, which halts copper-nickel mining near the Boundary Waters. Emmer contends this decision jeopardizes union jobs across Minnesota’s northern Iron Range and strengthens the position of global competitors, notably China.
During an appearance with host Matthew Boyle on – News Saturday, Emmer accused the outgoing governor of political vindictiveness as Walz prepares to step down. Emmer emphasized that this move shifts mineral production to nations with less stringent environmental regulations.
“This lame duck, Tim Walz, not only complicates governance in this state but also displays incompetence,” Emmer remarked. “As he nears the end of his term, he’s employing executive power to halt mining in Minnesota—an act of sheer spite.”
Emmer warned of adverse geopolitical implications, stating, “This will empower adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party. We uphold the world’s strictest environmental standards. Halting mining in the U.S. pushes operations to countries like China and Russia, where environmental care is minimal.”
Emmer dismissed the environmental rationale behind the order, affirming that a desire for clean water and air is universal, yet contending that environmental concerns were not the genuine crux of the issue.
“We’re all environmentalists… We all appreciate clean water, clean air. We want to leave the planet in as good or better condition than we found it,” Emmer said. “But that’s not the issue, even though that’s what he wants to claim the issue is.”
The Republican said the deposit ranks among the largest precious-metals finds in the world, holding copper, nickel, and palladium used in cell phones and automobiles. He said the order kills hundreds if not thousands of good-paying union jobs and cuts off revenue that flows to Minnesota’s public school trust lands.
Emmer also faulted Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, arguing Democrats who invoke the working class are governing only for “one downtown Minneapolis.”
Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), who led the congressional repeal of the federal mining ban, called the order “an outright war on Northern Minnesota and our way of life.”
Walz signed Executive Order 26-10 on Tuesday, directing state agencies to halt permitting and leasing for nonferrous mining in the Rainy River Headwaters Watershed and to review 38 existing leases, including one held by Twin Metals, a subsidiary of Chilean mining conglomerate Antofagasta.
The order followed Congress’s April vote to repeal a 20-year federal ban on mining near the wilderness, a resolution Stauber sponsored that cleared the Senate 50-49 before President Donald Trump signed it. Walz dropped his 2026 reelection bid amid a sprawling social services fraud scandal.
“As far as my administration is concerned, the fight for the future of the Boundary Waters is over,” Walz said.
LISTEN: