Overview
The 1872 law allows foreign mining companies to dig riches out of the ground, and leave the mess. Families across the country live with pollution from irresponsible mining, and tax- payers – not polluters – too often pay for a cleanup bill which has reached $50 billion.1 Why? Because our mining laws were written 150 years ago. They’re out of touch and out of scale with modern hardrock mining, and desperately need to be updated.
We need a mining law that will protect drinking water and hold mining companies responsible for their pollution.
