Editorial: Revising an old law

Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2006 | 7:21 a.m.

Mining companies and environmentalists rarely agree, but with Democrats taking control of Congress in January, both groups say that revisions are long overdue to an 1872 law that still governs most of the nation's mining.

According to a recent story by the Las Vegas Sun, just how those reforms should read is where miners and environmentalists begin to part ways.

Those pushing for major reforms are calling for mining companies to pay royalties on federal land, just as oil and natural gas industries do. Mining industry officials agree that some fees may be in order.

But, the Sun's Lisa Mascaro reports, mining officials want to shorten the environmental review process. And they oppose environmentalists' suggestions that federal agencies be given more authority to block mining in sensitive areas. Clinton administration regulations that granted that authority later were reversed by President Bush.

What is clear, however, is that changes are far more likely to happen under Congress' new Democratic leadership. Nonetheless, the mining industry has a longtime friend in Sen. Harry Reid, the son of a miner. Reid supports charging fees for mining on federal land but is not likely to support giving federal agencies veto power over where mining can occur.

Mining is a $3 billion annual industry in Nevada that provides about 58,000 jobs in the state's rural areas. Still, mining companies should be treated as any other industry that removes natural resources from public lands. They should pay for the privilege and be subject to thorough environmental reviews to make certain that their activities are not adversely affecting our water and land.