Congressional poll on 1872 mining law [View All]

The House Committee on Natural Resources is currently hosting a poll on their website asking about reform of the 1872 Mining Law, a provision that gives mining companies virtually free access to rich mineral deposits on public land with no requirement to pay royalties. And, the law allows claimholders — including companies wholly owned by foreign corporations — to buy public land outright for no more than $5 per acre, with mining given precedence over all other uses for the land. Particularly since modern mining operations can cover hundreds of acres, involve large volumes of toxic materials, and create huge amounts of waste, this is a law in desperate need of change, and we want to let the committee know that people across the country support mining law reform.

The poll currently has only a handful of responses, so let's see how many voices we can add and make the committee members and staff take notice. Our goal — 99% support in the poll for changing the 1872 Mining Law. Vote today! http://www.net.org/mining/poll.html