Arizona Republican senators fight Arizona’s Democratic Rep. Raul Grijalva on closing the Arizona Strip to uranium mining

Followup to Obama’s move to temporarily delay mining claims on a million scenic acres is shaping up into a major battle-

Mine ban at Canyon may fuel new fight By Shaun McKinnon and Erin Kelly. Azcentral.com

Polls show the state’s residents support the general position of Grijalva.

The Arizona Strip is a vast area of mostly BLM lands north of the Grand Canyon and south of the Utah border. Although there are backroads and grazing, it has almost no full time residents.

Interior nominee Salazar likely to push update, not overhaul, of mining law

The 1872 Mining Law is a long-standing embarrassment, but Obama has shown no interest in dumping it-

During the primary election season when Obama first came out against significant reform of this land destroying, trillion* dollar give-away, I thought he had merely received bad advice. Raúl Grijalva’s fervent desire to end this law probably weighed heavily against him in consideration for the job as Secretary of Interior.

Interior nominee Salazar likely to push update, not overhaul, of mining law. By Lisa Mascaro. Las Vegas Sun.

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*That’s a trillion dollars over time, not an annual loss to the treasury

House passes reform of 1872 mining law

The U.S. House easily passed reform of the 1872 mining law that still governs the discovery and extraction of “hard rock” minerals on public lands.

The bill did not pass it by enough, however, to override President Bush’s veto.

A weaker bill is expected to pass the Senate, one more in line with some of the President’s objections. However, Bush has a tendency to move “move the goalposts” in terms of his objections on bills, making him essentially impossible to negotiate with.

Story by Brodie Farquhar, House Passes Mining Reform, White House Threatens Veto. New West.

A look the voting pattern of U.S. Representatives from the West shows Republicans against reform and Democrats in favor, almost without exception. Even “Blue Dogs” like Utah Democrat Jim Matheson voted for the bill.

House Natural Resources Committee passes a major reform of the 1872 general mining law

Groups have been trying to reform this for a couple generations. Bush has said he will veto it.

House panel OKs bill imposing mining royalties. By Noelle Straub. Billings Gazette Washington Bureau

Instead of the old nearly free mining clam/patent system, mining operations would have to pay a royalty on “hard rock minerals” like gold, silver, lead, zinc, etc. like they currently do on gas and oil, coal, etc.

For the first time the 1872 mining law would not trump all other land uses.

Huge number of mining claims being staked around national parks and wilderness areas of the West

The antiquated 1872 mining act is not just a rip off of the taxpayer, but with rising mineral prices, it is a great threat to our most scenic areas because that law says mining always comes first, and thousands of claims are being staked.

Here is an article from the LA Times, and you can find many similar ones on-line.

Mining claims near wilderness areas in state [California] seen as threat. Wilderness areas in the state could be affected by pollution, public land analyst says. By Margot Roosevelt, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer.

More than 21,300 mining claims have been staked within 10 miles of California’s national parks and monuments and federal wilderness and roadless areas, according to an analysis of U.S. Bureau of Land Management records released Monday.

Mining law may be overhauled to protect public lands

Mining law may be overhauled to protect public lands. By Jennifer Talhelm. Associated Press.

“The Bush administration opposes the House bill, arguing that it would hurt small Western communities that depend on mining.” Even the mining industry knows change is badly needed. This Administration uses the stupidest, most primitive arguments on issue after issue. IMO.