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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Coloradans Send Mining Reform Witnesses to WashingtonLocals Urge Senate to Pass Mining Reform Bill as CO Claims Jump 239 PercentDENVER, CO — In the face of dramatic increases in new mining claims, private landowners, hunters and anglers, taxpayer advocates, local elected officials, and outdoor recreation and conservation advocates today held a press conference here to call on Senator Ken Salazar and Senator Wayne Allard to reform the 135-year-old law that governs the mining of gold, uranium, and other hardrock minerals on federal lands in the West. Tomorrow, officials from the town of Crested Butte will testify at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing on the 1872 mining law. Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO) is a member of the committee, which is meeting for the first time since the U.S. House of Representatives passed a comprehensive, bi-partisan mining reform bill last year that would modernize the Civil War-era statute. "This year, Colorado and the West will take center stage in the effort to reform the 1872 Mining Law," said Commissioner Jim Starr of Gunnison County, where a controversial mining proposal threatens the recreation-based economy of Crested Butte. "As a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Senator Salazar can play a lead role in protecting the health of Colorado's communities, lands, water, and wildlife by producing a modern framework for mining that protects taxpayers and the environment. We all have a stake in his success." The 1872 mining law, signed by President Ulysses S. Grant, offers special status to those filing claims on public lands — without safeguarding watersheds, wildlife or communities from the messy business of mining. It also allows mining companies to take minerals from public lands without compensating taxpayers, while oil, gas and coal industries have been paying royalties for decades. Colorado has had more than its share of mining-related problems, including the Summitville mine disaster that deadened miles of the Alamosa River, radioactive messes left behind by the last uranium mining boom and vestiges of historic mines that still fill rivers and streams with acids and metals. Coloradans have also seen treasured lands in Crested Butte, the Alpine Loop of southwestern Colorado, and the Roan Plateau disappear from the public trust because of the outdated policies of the 1872 Mining Law. Today the need for reform has been made more urgent by the dramatic increase in new mining claims in western states, including Colorado. According to Bureau of Land Management data analyzed by the Environmental Working Group, the total number of active hardrock mining claims in Colorado is 239 percent higher in mid-2007 than in 2003. Claims totaled 18,391 in July of 2007. Twelve western states combined experienced an 81 percent increase over the time period. "The state of Colorado has a stake in federal mining law reform," said Eddie Kochman, former aquatic wildlife manager with the Colorado Division of Wildlife and landowner facing mining pollution. "While the state legislature is working to enhance safeguards for water and impacted landowners, we need federal mining law reform that includes resource protection and a reasonable royalty." "Recreationists and outdoor enthusiasts have a stake in mining reform," said Mike Van Abel, executive director of the International Mountain Bike Association, speaking on behalf of the Outdoor Alliance. "We're dealing with an antiquated law where all other public land users are given short shrift. Colorado's recreation industry is a multi-billion dollar economic boost to our state. Public lands should be managed for the public, not as a giveaway to special interests. We ask Senators Salazar and Allard to take this opportunity to play a leading role in reform at the federal level." "Sportsmen have a stake in mining reform," Bill Dvorak with the National Wildlife Federation, an outdoor business owner, and avid sportsman. "Our public lands are the source of our best fishing, elk hunting and wildlife habitat, and we pay user fees to hunt and fish. It's time the industry also paid its own way, and took on the cost of mine cleanup." On Thursday, January 24, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hear testimony about the need for mining law reform and is expected to produce a bill in the coming weeks. The hearing follows House passage late last year of H.R. 2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, by a vote of 244-166. Statements and contact information from speakers at today's event are provided in a press packet available at the event, or by calling Pete Kolbenschlag at 970-261-0678. # # # For more:
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