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Sens. Salazar and Allard have a golden opportunity to fix the 136-year old mining law, which governs the extraction of taxpayer-owned metals on federal lands.
In 1872, Congress passed the Mining Act, giving gold away for free and selling land for $5 an acre. Incredibly, this law has never been changed and remains one of the nation’s oldest and biggest taxpayer boondoggles.
Some of the most egregious giveaways have happened right here in Colorado. A few years ago, Phelps Dodge obtained 155 acres of national forest land near Crested Butte for just $875, although nearby property was estimated at $100,000 for a tenth of an acre. On top of this, the extractor gets to reap the profits from the molybdenum underneath, estimated at $9 billion, while taxpayers can expect nothing.
Worse still, taxpayers get saddled with hefty costs for cleanup of mining operations, the total tab upwards of $50 billion nationally. In Colorado alone, there are 23,000 abandoned mines, many leaking acids and heavy metals into mountain streams. The unfunded liability for Colorado mine cleanups could be as high as $450 million.
Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to reform this out-of-date law that has permitted mining companies to take more than $250 billion in taxpayer-owned metals such as gold, silver, uranium without even paying a dime to Uncle Sam. These treasures have been carted off for private profit while other industries can pay well over a 10 percent royalty when extracting resources on public lands.
Taxpayers have waited too long. Senators need to take action to pass taxpayer-friendly mining reform in the U.S. Senate.
JILL LANCELOT
Denver
7 Responses to “Senators need to fix mining law”
Posted July 17th, 2008 at 8:05 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
It really is always the same, whether we are speaking of oil, gas, or other mineral, whether on federal or private land(s), and so are the tactics employed by private industrry. They purchase themselves a Palladin, pay off a few public officials, promise much while delivering little, rape the land, reap in the profits, and leave the taxpayer to clean up after them, either by leaving the state or country, or through legal means such as declaring bankruptcy. This will continue until we take action to hold ‘people’ accountable, not some artificially created entity that can be created, then just as easily disappear, with nothing more tan a piece of paper.
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 6:10 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Private Property Anyone? Why not take the government out of the equation entirely and sell our public lands (with exception of our national parks) to individuals here in colorado? That way we don’t have to worry about the government favoring some while ruining the rest of us. The sale could be closed to corporations and conglomerates and certain use restrictions put in place to ensure that our lands are not pillaged. If we keep our current “public” lands we can just expect more tragedy of the commons.
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 7:20 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Mr. Cox’s proposal is taken directly from the 2004 national platform of the Libertarian Party, which advocates the opening of all public lands (including National Parks) to private homesteading.
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 7:30 am Login to Send PM Report this comment
Never heered of that plan.
One that I have long advocated is to return ALL,so called ‘federal lands’, to the States, with the exception of military installations, which would be leased back to the federal government, with all other States paying their part of the lease based on their population.
This would include all ‘wilderness’ areas, National Parks and Monuments.
The people closest to the park of other historical place of value would have the better idea of the needs that pertain to each particular area.
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 12:18 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
WLJ: “The people closest to the park of other historical place of value would have the better idea of the needs that pertain to each particular area.”
What he means is that the local ranchers could then completely despoil our national treasures by overrunning them with their massive herds of cattle and sheep since local politicians are even easier to corrupt with rancher bribes than some of the national ones. Be a Man, Willy and tell us about your real motivations here.
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 1:08 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
Now gene, you have no idea what I mean.
All you have is leftover tired, wornout lies.
What would you know about being a “man” gene?
Men, at least ‘respected’ men do not need to lie to bolster their moronic positions.
I quote me…
” poor little moron.
Actually, I do not consider myself to be a ‘legend’.
I do consider you to be a dishonest lying old man with no respect for the truth, and any Integrity you may have possessed at some point in your life is gone now.
Your anti-American rants have shown exactly what type of person you truly are.
And, gene, recently you spent some time bragging on your quarterly estimated tax payments were more than most people made in a year.
It has been my experience that those who actually have the money NEVER brag about it, unless they are trust-fund babies who do not respect what has been handed to them to get them to stay away from the parents.
Your continued claim that I am a dropout is a wholly created figment of your imagination to bolster your own pitiful ego, and hope that somebody will care.
“pipsqueak” really is from the third grade, and very indicative of your true mental capacity at this stage in your life.
How pathetic that you have allowed yourself to degrade to the point that all you have left is childish name calling and lies to bolster your failed political philosophies. “
Posted July 18th, 2008 at 1:43 pm Login to Send PM Report this comment
“How pathetic that you have allowed yourself to degrade to the point that all you have left is childish name calling and lies to bolster your failed political philosophies.”
Does anyone else see the irony in Willis’ complaint about “childish name calling” in a post where he quotes himself calling someone “poor little moron”?
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