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Editorial Roundup
June 23, 2008
Across the country, newspapers have been featuring editorials regarding the 1872 Mining Act and the message is clear: Senate must act now to reform this outdated law.
The following is a roundup of recent editorials:
The Case for Mining Law Reform
The New York Times, June 23, 2008
A relic of the boisterous era of Western expansion, the law gives hard-rock mining precedence over all other uses of the public lands, including conservation. It demands no royalties and provides minimal environmental protections. Its legacy, if it can be called that, is a battered landscape of abandoned mines and poisoned streams.
A sensible revision of the General Mining Law of 1872
The Denver Post, June 13, 2008
Sportsmen in Colorado are mobilizing with great success and having their voices heard on this important topic and look to the leadership of Senators Salazar and Allard to carry the idea of sensible reform forward. A recent letter to Congress was signed by more than 400 hunting and fishing organizations and more than 30 national groups calling for mining reform.
We need an update to law now
Missoulian, June 2, 2008
In November 2007, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 (H.R. 2262) by a significant margin, 244-166. This bipartisan support was based on a realization that it is time to resolve past abuses and to bring appropriate policy and processes to assure that mining practices on public lands are conducted responsibly. Now it is the Senate's turn to take up and pass. It is time to contact our senators and seek their support.
It's past time to reform the mining law
Southern Oregon Mail Tribune, June 1, 2008
All Americans have a vested interest in this law, but Oregon's natural heritage stands to benefit greatly should reform be accomplished. And as sportsmen, we and our children will be direct beneficiaries.
Reform the nation's 1872 Mining Act
The Oregonian, May 12, 2008
The 136-year-old law, enacted when Ulysses Grant was president, should have been overhauled a century ago. It's an outrageous giveaway that special interests have fought relentlessly, and successfully, to hang on to for decades...The hoary law allows mining operations to extract billions of dollars' worth of minerals from federal lands without paying one penny of royalties. It allows mining claim holders the privilege of buying the land for no more than $5 an acre. And it allows the creation of horrendous environmental messes that are left for the public to deal with, as happened last year in Oregon when an abandoned zinc and copper mine near Riddle was declared a federal Superfund site.
Uranium isn't worth the gamble
Greeley Tribune, May 2, 2008
In Washington, another important bill is being debated among our U.S. senators that would reform the 1872 mining law and help protect Colorado's mountain landscapes, rivers and communities, while also creating funding to clean up abandoned mines.
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