Administration Releases a Report on Needed Mining Reforms
Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Minnesota, which has been the site of mining conflicts. Photo credit: Joe Pohle
Today, the Biden Administration released a long-awaited report on mining reform, outlining a number of key recommendations for how to modernize and update U.S. hardrock mining regulations on public lands. The report was the product of an interagency working group (IWG) comprised of agency experts on mine permitting and environmental law . Hardrock mining profoundly affects outdoor recreation, and there are a number of high-profile conflicts between proposed or existing mines and outdoor recreation assets. Outdoor Alliance developed recommendations for the IWG, and rallied thousands of comments from outdoor enthusiasts in support of mining reform.
Jamie Ervin, Outdoor Alliance’s Policy Associate, said, “Outdoor Alliance appreciates the thoughtful recommendations released today by the Biden Administration’s Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting. As the clean energy transition increases demand for critical minerals, significant policy change is needed to ensure that these minerals are sourced in an ethical and responsible way. This includes reforming our antiquated 150+ year old mining law to account for modern public lands values like outdoor recreation. We are pleased to see that the IWG report recommends commonsense reforms such as establishing a leasing system for hardrock mining, instituting royalties to clean up abandoned mines, and providing land managers with new tools for protecting sensitive lands with outstanding conservation, recreation, and cultural values. The outdoor recreation community stands ready to work with the Administration and Congress to implement the IWG report and finally bring America’s mining laws into the 21st century.”
Outdoor Alliance has worked toward modernizing and updating our country’s 150 year old mining law for a decade. Most recently, we have focused our recommendations on:
Establishing strong responsible mining standards
Addressing legacy mining pollution
Conducting comprehensive land planning that reduces conflicts between mining and outdoor recreation
Protecting special places from irreversible mining damage, including roadless areas, national recreation areas, Wild & Scenic rivers, and more
Encouraging Interior to solicit strong community input and Tribal consultation on mining projects
Allowing agencies to deny projects when the environmental or social impacts are unacceptable
Establishing a permitting and leasing system for hardrock mining
You can read the full report from the Interagency Working Group on Mining Laws, Regulations, and Permitting here and you can read our prior work on mining here.