Senate accepting testimony on the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 until July 28.
July 17, 2009
On July 14, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on S 796, the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 and S 140, the Abandoned Mine Act of 2009.A two-hour webcast of the hearing is available online.
S 796 is the companion bill to HR 699 in the House, which was profiled in our March 2009 issue titled, "Rahall Proposes Bill to End All Mining in the U.S." As you can tell by the title, these bills will virtually destroy mining in the United States.
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will accept written testimony on S 796 until Tuesday, July 28. You may fax your testimony to the Energy Committee at (202) 224-6163. You may also send your testimony and comments by email to the majority (Patricia Beneke) at patricia_beneke@energy.senate.gov and to the minority (Colin Hayes) at colin_hayes@energy.senate.gov
Failure to get involved in the process by submitting testimony could forfeit your rights to contest the new regulations in court later if needed.
It would be a good idea to send your comments to each member of the committee. (See committee roster.)
Additional links and information:
- S 796 (Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 - Senate version)
- S 140 (Abandoned Mine Reclamation Act of 2009)
- HR 699 (Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009 - House version)
Copyright ICMJ & CMJ, Inc. 2009. (Permission granted to link to this document by copying the web address above.)
