Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the Biden Administration issued a new report on recommendations for updating the 1872 General Mining Law. Among the proposed reforms are increased Tribal consultation and engagement, a new leasing system, and incorporating climate change and environmental justice factors into the review of mining proposals.
The 1872 General Mining Act was signed into law by President Ulysses Grant in May 1872 and has remained largely unchanged in its broad allowance for hardrock mining since then. Under the law, any U.S. citizen 18 years or older has the right to stake and operate a mining claim on federal lands at minimal cost and with little environmental consideration.
In response, Athan Manuel, director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, released the following statement:
“Our country has changed tremendously in 150 years, but our mining laws remain stuck in the 1870s. For too long, mining companies have been allowed to profit off public lands without paying a dime in royalties, leave toxic pollution in their wake, and have communities foot the bill to clean it up. As we transition to a clean energy economy, we need to stop putting extractive profits over people. What the Biden Administration has proposed is much-needed reform that will go a long way towards ending subsidized mining operations, preserving public lands and waters, and protecting the health and wellbeing of our communities.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.