President signed H.J. Res. 140 on April 17, 2026, nullifying Public Land Order 7917 and opening 225,504 acres of federal land in northeastern Minnesota to mineral and geothermal leasing. This is a regulatory disapproval with no direct funding authorization. Near-term market impact is low because the bill only enables leasing — actual exploration and development require years of permitting and environmental review.
→ Federal lands previously unavailable for 20 years are now open to competitive leasing; exploration activity can commence subject to NEPA review and permitting.
HJRES140