Stauber Celebrates Minnesota Victories in Interior Appropriations Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) joined the majority of his House colleagues in passing H.R. 4821, the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY2024, which contains many legislative wins for Minnesota’s Eighth Congressional District.

Of this legislation’s passage, Congressman Stauber stated, “Since President Biden took office, he has implemented policies that are anti-mining, anti-American energy production, and anti-farmer. This year’s Interior Appropriations bill would help stop Biden’s harmful agenda in its tracks. I am especially excited that it contains a number of wins for northeast Minnesota, including a provision to roll back the Department of Interior’s harmful mineral withdrawal in the Duluth Complex. I now urge my Senate colleagues – particularly Minnesota’s Senators – to take this legislation up immediately because we can't afford any more of Biden's 'anywhere but America, any worker but American' mining and energy policies."

Here are the top provisions included in this appropriations package that would benefit Minnesota’s Eighth District:

• Reinstate mineral leases in northeast Minnesota.
• Block the Secretary of the Interior’s mineral withdrawal in the Superior National Forest.
• Repeal the recent Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule, which has been harmful to Minnesota’s farmers, landowners, and small businesses.
• Require the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the final rule removing the gray wolf from the list of threatened and endangered wildlife.
• Reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s abuse of the Endangered Species Act by delisting the Northern Long-Eared Bat. This unnecessary listing has stifled responsible logging and forest management in Minnesota’s Eighth District.
• Fund critical infrastructure projects in Bemidji, Braham, and Silver Bay.

Stauber also had two amendments added to this legislation that would prevent the Biden Administration from making the broken NEPA system even worse. NEPA is currently filled with duplicative red-tape and is all too often weaponized by litigious groups, making it near impossible for important projects to move forward.

Congressman Stauber spoke on the House Floor in support of this legislation. Watch his full remarks here.