7-25-12 - Environment Minnesota says a number of bills now moving through Congress threaten Minnesota's public lands -- particularly in the Superior National Forest and the B-W-C-A.  The group's Samantha Chadwick says a bill that passed the U-S House earlier this month strips away key protections in Superior National Forest by expediting mining permits and limiting opportunities for citizens to be involved.  Backers say environmental laws will protect public lands in northern Minnesota while at the same time allowing Minnesota's economy to capitalize on growing demand for copper and other non-ferrous metals.