Back to the resource library The Last American Dinosaur: The 1872 Mining Law March 24, 2000 Download The 1872 Mining Law is the last vestige of public resource giveaways originally enacted to encourage the settlement of the western U.S. See All Related Resources All Costs, No Benefits: Oil & Gas Waste on PA Roadways Certified Disaster: Fact Sheet CERTIFIED DISASTER: How Project Canary and Gas Certification are Misleading Markets & Governments Earthworks 2023 Campaign Plan