Challenge to New Mine Rules Planned
The Bush administration will propose suspending new environmental regulations on hardrock mining that were imposed on President Clinton’s last day in office over industry objections.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management will announce today it is reopening the so-called revised 3809 regulations giving the government new authority to prohibit new mine sites on federal land, Associated Press learned.
“People have raised concerns about the new rules on both policy and legal grounds,” acting BLM Director Nina Rose Hatfield said in a statement.
The regulations require miners of gold, silver, uranium, copper, lead, zinc and molybdenum on federal claims to post a bond guaranteeing they will clean up after themselves. The reclamation bond must be equal to 100% of the estimated cleanup cost.
Previously, mines disturbing less than five acres per year did not have to provide a cleanup bond and companies could pledge their own assets instead of putting up a cleanup bond.
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