{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emmer-introduces-miner-act", "Emmer Introduces MINER Act", "2017-10-03", "2017", "2017-10", "Republican", "House", "MN", "Tom Emmer", "E000294", "emmer.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington D.C. \u2013\u00a0Today, Congressman Tom Emmer (MN-06) introduced Minnesota\u2019s Economic Rights (MINER) in the Superior National Forest Act, which will help restore mineral rights to Minnesota so that our miners, the state of Minnesota, and nation can once again thrive. Congressman Collin Peterson (MN-07) and Congressman Jason Lewis (MN-02) joined Emmer as original cosponsors. The MINER Act requires approval from elected Representatives in Congress for any federal proposal to withdraw land from mining, or establishment of national monuments in Minnesota. Additionally, this legislation would allow the renewal of mineral leases in the area and would ensure that future leases in the area remain valid and renewed, consistent with current law. Lastly, this legislation includes language to specifically protect one of Minnesota\u2019s natural treasures by stating, \u201cNothing in this section may be construed as permitting the prospecting for development and utilization of mineral resources within the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness or Mine Protection Area,\u201d and specifically requires environmental review of any leases issued under the bill\u2019s provisions. \u201cIn their final hours, the Obama Administration enacted a series of harmful and reckless policies, which have hindered our ability to utilize our state\u2019s abundance of natural resources and bring jobs to a part of our state that badly needs them,\u201d said Emmer. \u201cI know that we can responsibly mine and bring jobs back to this region without destroying the forests, lakes and streams that all Minnesotans hold dear. That is why I am proud to introduce the MINER Act, which will allow mining as long as it meets strict environmental requirements, so that we can advance our state and local economies while protecting Minnesota\u2019s beauty for future generations.\u201d The MINER Act is H.R. 3905. Click here to read the full text. Additional resources:  Release: House Unanimously Approves Emmer Amendment (Sept. 7, 2017)  Video: Emmer testifies to restore Minnesota\u2019s mineral rights (July 27, 2017)  Release: Gosar, Emmer, Nolan and Westerman tour MN mining operations (July 19, 2017)\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://emmer.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/emmer-introduces-miner-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.8907987978309393, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}