Editorial Board
The Mining Industry Has Had It Easy for Far Too Long
Economic preferences for hardrock mining stopped making sense about a century ago.
Time to clean up.
Photographer: John Moore/Getty Images North AmericaWhen should modern Americans care about legislation signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant? When it causes deep environmental damage, deprives the federal treasury of billions, privileges one industry over others, practically gives away public lands, and hasn’t been significantly altered in almost 150 years.
The law in question is the General Mining Act of 1872, which governs the harvesting of gold, silver, uranium, copper, zinc and other minerals from federal lands. To say it’s long overdue for reform is an understatement.