This week on The Wild Line: a key Senate vote on Boundary Waters mining protections is postponed, the Forest Service proposes limits on public comment, and the Trump administration rolls back protections at a major Atlantic marine monument. We also cover a National Park Service nomination, federal public lands legislation, and new state action in Oregon and Illinois.

Boundary Waters Mining Vote Delayed

A Senate Congressional Review Act vote that would erase mining protections for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness has been postponed until the week of February 23. Advocates say public pressure helped secure the delay — but stress the fight isn’t over.

Ingrid Lyons from Save the Boundary Waters said:

…With the House vote on the CRA, we were really scrambling with a very short turnaround time. And we were able to accomplish a lot in that short period of time, even though we ultimately lost the vote. And so I’d really encourage people to continue calling their senators when they are in state, call their in-state office numbers, request meetings. I think it’s not a recess in the sense that we can all just sort of sit back and relax and hope it goes well the next week. I think we have to really keep on them and let them know that we are watching and we are waiting and we are going to be in their face until they make the right decision on the CRA.

Action: Contact your U.S. Senators and urge them to oppose rolling back Boundary Waters protections. For more context, listen to our conversations with Ingrid Lyons and Senator Tina Smith.

Public Lands Activity in Congress

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held hearings on public lands legislation, while the House Natural Resources Committee advanced bills addressing critical minerals, grazing, national park designations, and wildfire firefighter support. Those bills are now available for consideration by the entire House, and you can see a complete list of them here.

Nevada Congressman Mark Amodei also announced his retirement. Representing a district dominated by federal lands, he has played a central role in debates over mining and wilderness protection.

National Park Service Nominee

President Trump nominated Scott Socha, head of concessionaire company Delaware North, to lead the National Park Service — the first nominee from the concessionaire industry, following past legal disputes between the company and NPS.

Forest Service Proposes Comment Rollbacks

The U.S. Forest Service has proposed shortening public comment periods and limiting objections to forest projects. Critics warn the rule could significantly reduce public oversight of logging and land management decisions.

Sam Evans, leader of the Southern Environmental Law Center’s Forest and Public Lands program, said this about the practical implications of this proposed rule:

So what does the proposal do? Well, for one thing, it shortens the time that we would have to comment on a project. Again, this is a statutory requirement. The Congress requires the Forest Service to provide notice, comment, and an opportunity to object. But instead of a 30 or a 45 day comment period now, the Forest Service has rolled that back to a 10 day process. And I want to just point out how ridiculous that is because the the notice that the public will get that this 10 day period has started is just going to pop up on the Forest Service webpage. One of dozens or hundreds of web pages out there. You’re not going to get an email even if you’ve told the Forest Service that you’re interested in receiving notice about these things. You’re not going to get the schedule of proposed action anymore. You’re not going to get the notice in the newspaper that you would have under the old objection regs. This is just going to pop up on a Forest Service website somewhere. And if you’re not looking every day, you’re gonna miss your chance.

Atlantic Marine Monument Reopened to Fishing

The administration revoked fishing restrictions at the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the only marine national monument in the Atlantic. The move renews debate over protections for deep-sea ecosystems and raises broader questions about the future of marine national monuments nationwide.

State Watch

• Oregon: Lawmakers introduced a “climate superfund” bill requiring major fossil fuel companies to help pay for climate-related disaster costs.
• Illinois: A new rewilding law directs the state to prioritize wetland restoration amid weakened federal Clean Water Act protections.

Ground Shift Launches Cross-Partisan Public Lands Initiative

A new independent, cross-partisan initiative called Ground Shift officially launched this week, aiming to rethink how the United States manages its public lands and waters in the face of climate change, growing recreation demands, water scarcity, wildfire, and large-scale energy development. Learn more at https://www.groundshift.us/

Next Week

That’s our report for February 13, 2026.

We’ll be back next week with more land stories that matter.

Make sure you vote in our weekly sticker polls all month long.

Until then — Act Up and Run Wild.

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