# 119-hr-588: Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act

119-hr-588, Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] (D-MN); status introduced (as of 2026-10-30).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-588
- As of: 2026-10-30
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-588
- Congress: 119
- Title: Boundary Waters Wilderness Protection and Pollution Prevention Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-01-21
- Sponsor: Rep. McCollum, Betty [D-MN-4] (D-MN)
- Cosponsors: 42
- Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-10-30

## Summary

**Would withdraw about 225,500 acres in Minnesota's Rainy River Watershed from mining, leasing, and public land entry to protect the Boundary Waters and Voyageurs National Park.** It would also require the withdrawal map be available to the public, apply the withdrawal immediately to future federal land acquisitions inside the mapped area, and let the Forest Service permit limited removal of sand, gravel, granite, iron ore, and taconite when those removals are not detrimental to water, air, or forest health. - Visitors and ecosystems: Protects water and habitat inside the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park by blocking most new mining and leasing across the mapped watershed. - Mining and mineral operators: Removes the area from mining and mineral leasing laws but allows the Forest Service to approve limited material removal if it does not harm water, air, or forest health. - Public access and future lands: Requires the map to be kept on file for public inspection and makes any federal land acquired inside the map immediately subject to the withdrawal.

## Cosponsors (42)

- Rep. Barragán, Nanette Diaz [D-CA-44] (D-CA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Beyer, Donald S. [D-VA-8] (D-VA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26] (D-CA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Casten, Sean [D-IL-6] (D-IL), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28] (D-CA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Connolly, Gerald E. [D-VA-11] (D-VA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. García, Jesús G. "Chuy" [D-IL-4] (D-IL), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] (D-CA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4] (D-WI), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Morrison, Kelly [D-MN-3] (D-MN), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Nadler, Jerrold [D-NY-12] (D-NY), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large] (D-DC), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pingree, Chellie [D-ME-1] (D-ME), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9] (D-IL), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1] (D-NM), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tokuda, Jill N. [D-HI-2] (D-HI), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20] (D-NY), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5] (D-GA), 2025-01-21T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6] (D-WA), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Case, Ed [D-HI-1] (D-HI), 2025-02-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Lieu, Ted [D-CA-36] (D-CA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DelBene, Suzan K. [D-WA-1] (D-WA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Levin, Mike [D-CA-49] (D-CA), 2025-03-18T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. DeGette, Diana [D-CO-1] (D-CO), 2025-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-4] (D-CA), 2025-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Raskin, Jamie [D-MD-8] (D-MD), 2025-03-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Dingell, Debbie [D-MI-6] (D-MI), 2025-04-24T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI), 2025-06-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13] (D-MI), 2026-10-26T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Neguse, Joe [D-CO-2] (D-CO), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ansari, Yassamin [D-AZ-3] (D-AZ), 2026-01-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] (D-IL), 2026-02-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2] (D-NC), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carbajal, Salud O. [D-CA-24] (D-CA), 2026-05-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2] (D-WI), 2026-05-12T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-05-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Vasquez, Gabe [D-NM-2] (D-NM), 2026-06-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Krishnamoorthi, Raja [D-IL-8] (D-IL), 2026-07-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Garcia, Sylvia R. [D-TX-29] (D-TX), 2026-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mullin, Kevin [D-CA-15] (D-CA), 2026-08-27T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Limits on mining near Boundary Waters: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill would block new mining claims, mineral leasing, and land disposals in a mapped area. It would cover about 225,504 acres in Minnesota’s Rainy River Watershed. The area is shown on a federal map dated January 31, 2023. Existing valid rights would be honored. The Forest Service co…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025
- 119-hr-15: Equality Act
- 119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025
- 119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-588 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/588)

## Related
- [119-hr-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-51)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-20: Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-20)
- [119-hr-15: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-15)
- [119-hr-1589: American Dream and Promise Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1589)
- [119-hr-17: Paycheck Fairness Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-17)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-588 (as of 2026-10-30).