Thursday, September 27, 2007

Tell your Congressmen to vote YES on mining law reform

Taxpayers for Common Sense is running a grassroots internet campaign to reform an old mining law that has lost the American taxpayer billions of dollars over the years. Here is their message; then go to their action page for an example letter to send to your representatives:

End Mining Giveaways Support H.R. 2262
There was a time when only pirates made off with billions in someone else’s gold. But thanks to a 135 year old mining law still on the books, some of the world’s biggest corporations are still plundering.
Signed into law by President Ulysses Grant to encourage Western expansion, the 1872 Mining Law has long outlived its original intent. With the Wild West settled and multinational mining companies flourishing, wasteful subsidies continue to flow. Federal land can still be sold dirt cheap (no more than $5/acre!), hardrock miners are uniquely excused from royalty payments for the mineral they extract, and taxpayers are often left with the clean-up bill after expensive environmental damage is abandoned on federal lands.
The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007, H.R. 2262, introduced by Rep. Nick Rahall (D-WV), takes steps to reform this age-old law and address these critical issues. The bill imposes a modest eight percent royalty on the value of the gold, silver, and other stones and metals extracted. It prohibits the sale of federal land to hardrock mining companies. And it tackles the steep clean-up costs by establishing standards to minimize damage, requiring more stringent planning and disclosures from mining companies to reduce unforeseen catastrophes, and investing royalty and fee revenues into a fund to help cover these expensive damages.
Write to your Member of Congress today and urge them to cosponsor this important legislation and support these long-awaited reforms.
Take action now.

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