VICTORY! House passes 1872 Mining Law reform

VICTORY!

House Passes 1872 Mining Law Reform, 244 to 166

Sorry Ulysses, your mining legacy may be nearing an end.

Earlier today(Thu 11/01/07) , for the first time since 1993, the House of Representatives voted to pass real mining reform of the 1872 Mining Law -- HR 2262, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007. It passed on a 244 to 166 vote.

Thanks for your letters!
If you sent a letter to your Representative, take a bow. You had an impact.

How do we know? During the debate on the House floor, Natural Resource Committee Chairman Nick Rahall, one of the authors of HR 2262, challenged reform opponents to produce letters in support of their position. He did so secure in the knowledge of thousands of letters from around the country -- from citizens, from local governments, from jewelry retailers, from Americans of every stripe -- supporting real mining reform.

Ulysses' sorry legacy
The United States has long been haunted by the 1872 Mining Law. It's been 135 long years since Ulysses S. Grant signed the 1872 Mining Law into statute. You probably know its legacy:

Your donation helps EARTHWORKS protect communities and the environment by funding our efforts to influence government policy -- like the fight to reform the 1872 Mining Law.

• hundreds of thousands of abandoned mines that will cost $50 billion to reclaim;
• 40% of the stream reaches of the headwaters of western watersheds polluted;
• 300 billion dollars worth of public minerals given away without royalty;
• the creation of an industry that operates as the nation's #1 toxic polluter.

On to the Senate!
Whether that legacy continues will next be considered by the Senate. At this point, it looks like mining reform will be taken up in the Senate some time next year.

We'll keep you posted. And we'll no doubt need your action. So stay tuned!

Thanks,
Alan Septoff and Lauren Pagel, EARTHWORKS

For more information: www.miningreform.org