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Mining Reform
An antiquated federal statute that allows mining companies to take valuable hardrock minerals from public lands at negligible cost.
Westerners for Responsible Mining
MEIC is the Montana partner in Westerners for Responsible Mining, a multi-state campaign to build a political climate in the West favorable to reform of the 1872 Mining Law. In 2005, an amendment was proposed in Congress that would have made the sorely outdated law even worse by allowing nearly unrestricted sales of federal lands. MEIC worked to bring attention to this issue by coordinating efforts with Earthworks, National Environmental Trust, and others, and by mobilizing MEIC’s members. The cumulative pressure paid off and the amendment was dropped.
1872 Mining Law
The General Mining Law of 1872 is an antiquated statute that allows mining companies to take valuable hardrock minerals such as gold, silver, copper and uranium from public lands. Enacted under President Ulysses S. Grant, the law remains virtually unchanged today, despite dramatic changes in the mining practices.
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The Berkeley Pit in Butte, Montana. |
The 1872 Mining Law applies to more than 270 million acres of federal land — almost one quarter of all the land in the U.S. and two thirds of the land the federal government holds in trust for all Americans.
Currently, the 1872 Mining Law:
- Contains no protections from mining pollution
- Gives preferential treatment to mining over all other land uses
- Grants special tax breaks to the mining industry
- Sells public lands for less than $5.00 an acre
Towards More Responsible Mining
To reform the 1872 Mining Law in a way that will protect Western communities and water resources, Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Christopher Shays (R-CT), and Jay Inslee (D-WA) introduced the “Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007” (H.R. 2262).