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Hardrock Mine Dump in ColoradoWhen the 1872 Mining Law was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant, the typical prospector worked with a mule and a pick axe. The "mom and pop" operations looking for hardrock minerals, like gold, silver, and copper, have drastically changed in the last 135 years.  However, the law governing the mining industry has not.

Modern mines are enormous operations that leave behind scarred landscapes needing extensive clean-up. Hardrock mining can cause significant impacts on the environment, potentially affecting ground and surface waters, aquatic life, vegetation, soils, air, wildlife, and human health.

The 1872 Mining Law is outdated and it is time for Congress to update it. According to the EPA, hardrock mining is the number one toxic polluter in the United States and has polluted 40 percent of the stream and headwaters of western waters. A change is needed.

Thanks to House Natural Resources Chairman Nick Rahall and Representative Jim Costa, the authors of the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007 (HR 2262), we now have an opportunity to reform the 1872 Mining Law -- and help make irresponsible mining a thing of the past by insisting that mining companies pay for clean up and take environmental standards into consideration for future mines.

Please tell Congress today to support this long overdue bill.

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