Mining and New Mexico - have times changed since 1872?

A bill to reform the 135 year old law governing hardrock mining passed the US House last year, and now the Senate is looking at it. Some say that the law made sense when it was passed in 1872, but times have changed. Gee, ya think?

“When the law was passed, it was lone prospectors with pack mules, and today, it’s a modern mining industry.” Currently, international corporations are allowed to take resources from US public land, without compensating taxpayers.

New Mexico has been one of the states hardest hit by pollution from old mines, and the new legislation would charge royalties to companies, and use some of that to pay for cleanup. It would also help protect the public interest - e.g. to protect the water supply. Right now, if a mine is staked on public land, you can’t say no.

That’s right - you could put your uranium mine anywhere on public land, and the public can’t have a say in it, and the public doesn’t get any $ for it, and the public is left with the cleanup costs. Does the phrase “public land” seem like a misnomer?

Predictably, opponents think that charging royalties will cut into their profits a bit too much. Seems like they’ve had it their way for the last 135 years.

Insight New Mexico: Updating Old Mining Law has NM Implications

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We visit northern New Mexico each year on our women’s tour to Santa Fe & Taos. It’s a unique and beautiful area, and I certainly hope that we can all keep it that way. And yes, I agree that times may have changed a tad since 1872 - no blogging back then!
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