Media Contact:
Background: US Senator Ben Ray Luján and Congressman Raúl Grijalva introduced the Mining Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Prevention Act of 2025 in Congress today. The bill updates U.S. hardrock mining policy, which was written in 1872.
Statement by Earthworks Senior Policy Counsel Aaron Mintzes:
“This bill is a desperately needed and overdue comprehensive overhaul of U.S. hardrock mining law. It will benefit taxpayers, recognize the rights of Indigenous communities and others affected by mining, and protect irreplaceable waters and habitats.
“Mining companies currently have subsidized access to taxpayer-owned minerals without paying royalties and without protections for the rights and wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples, residents, and the environment. Our outdated mining law was written in 1872 and benefits only mining companies. This transformative bill could change all that.”