Opinion: Proposed Mining Law Could Have Devastating Consequences

In an opinion piece in Albuquerque Journal, Ralph Vigil and Paula Garcia argue against a proposed federal bill that would allow more mining in Western states.

According to the authors, “This would have devastating consequences across the West and especially for New Mexico, where the Questa mine in Taos County poisoned the Red River, spewed toxic waste into acequias and became a Superfund site costing taxpayers an estimated $1 billion to clean up.”

The authors write that the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act would make conditions worse by lifting a key protection that requires proof of underground minerals to establish mining rights. “The consequences would be disastrous, locking up land held in trust for all of us and putting recreation, wildlife habitat, sacred sites, scenic landscapes, forests and even renewable energy projects at risk.”

A better alternative, the authors note, is the competing Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act, which “ would, for the first time, require companies to pay the American public for the minerals they extract from our public lands. It would set aside funds for mine cleanup and give local communities and Tribes more say in determining where mining should and should not take place.”