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Focus (Forum & Focus)

Dec. 29, 2007

Federal Mining Law Favors Corporations at Expense of Environment

Forum Column - By Jeffrey A. Lowe - A federal statute unchanged since the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant is allowing mining companies to destroy Western lands without having to pay for either the minerals they extract or the environmental damage they cause.

FORUM COLUMN

By Jeffrey A. Lowe

      Under the 1872 Mining Law, mining companies extract minerals from publicly owned lands without paying royalties to the federal government. This policy differs from federal policy toward the coal, oil and gas industries, all of which must pay royalties for extracting minerals from public-sector property. In 2000, mining corporations extracted $4 billion worth of minerals from public lands without...

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