Nevada delegates disapprove of funding parks off backs of miners

Benjamin Grove

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 1999 | 11:09 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Nevada's delegation in Congress doesn't like Vice President Al Gore's new proposal to finance a $2 billion urban parks plan on the backs of miners.

Gore on Sunday announced a plan to preserve more park land and curb urban sprawl by implementing a new fee on mining companies that pull minerals from federal lands.

The government collects royalties on federal land resources including coal, oil, gas and timber, but not hard-rock minerals.

"All working families deserve easy access to parks and open space, whether they live in the inner city or on the growing edge of suburbia," the Democratic presidential candidate said in a written statement.

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., agrees, but he objects to taxing miners.

"I believe that conservation and mining are compatible goals and feel strongly that mining should not be used as a scapegoat for our failure to adequately fund our conservation priorities," Reid said in a letter sent to Gore on Monday.

Reid, the Senate's assistant Democratic leader, points out that mining is Nevada's second largest industry and that Nevada mining companies have minimized the effects of mining on the environment.

Reid, the son of a Searchlight, Nev., miner, is a close political ally of Gore. Reid has endorsed him for President.

Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., also is concerned about the proposal.

"While the senator supports the Vice President's efforts to control suburban sprawl, he doesn't feel that we should needlessly sacrifice the mining industry to achieve a worthwhile goal," Bryan spokesman David Lemmon said today.

Rep. Shelley Berkley spokeswoman Laura Chapin added, "While it's a laudable goal, as a matter of principle we don't think that every time you want to do something good you need to raise taxes. We want to see if there are other ways of doing this without raising taxes on a Nevada industry."

The National Mining Association does not object to paying royalties. But a spokeswoman today said Gore is asking for too much from a mining industry that is already struggling nationwide because of lower prices and increased international competition.

"The amount he is asking for is unreasonable," association spokeswoman Karen Batra said. The association supports royalty payments being spent on cleaning up and restoring abandoned mines, she said.

It was not immediately clear exactly how and when Gore proposes a new mining royalty would be implemented and how it would affect Nevada mining companies. Gore wants to raise $2 billion over 10 years. A Gore spokesman could not be reached for comment today.

Nevada mines yield more than 20 minerals including gold, silver, zinc, lead, and gypsum, according to the Nevada Mining Association. It is the world's third largest producer of gold behind South Africa and Australia.