GoldpannerDave
Bronze Member
- Apr 17, 2014
- 1,076
- 1,279
- Detector(s) used
- Bazooka 48" Miner and 30" Sniper, Le Trap, Wolf Trap, A52, 2" dredge, Miller tables, Blue Bowl, wheel, Falcon MD20, old White's detector
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
Quoted from the DENVER POST OP-ED: GOLD KING MINE IS JUST TIP OF ICEBERG
12/7/15
By Congressman Doug Lamborn
Imagine kayakers drifting through the neon waters of the Animas River. Or, think about toxic, heavy metals seeping into Crested Butte's drinking water and Indian reservation waters downstream. Unfortunately, these scenarios aren't figments of your imagination—they're a reality. With the recent Gold King Mine and Standard Mine spills, Colorado has suffered more than its fair share of environmental disasters caused by abandoned mines.
But the abandoned mine problem is bigger than just Colorado. It is estimated that there are as many as 400,000 abandoned mines in the western United States. Many of these mines contain heavy metals and other chemicals that could seriously damage the surrounding environment and jeopardize the health of nearby residents.
To prevent future catastrophes — not just for the next few years but well into the future—we need to adopt a multifaceted solution. We need a plan that addresses the financial hardship of mine cleanup, incentivizes the private sector to do its part without fear of crushing liability or overregulation, and teaches the next generation of engineers the best environmental and engineering practices.
To address these concerns, I have introduced new legislation as part of a larger package of bills that offers protection and incentives to well-intentioned private companies who can assist in the recovery of abandoned mine land.
The Locatable Minerals Claim Location and Maintenance Fees Act, H.R. 3843, would require the EPA to create "Good Samaritan" permits to provide limited liability protections for industry and non-profit groups who have the technical expertise to responsibly remediate abandoned mine lands.
Under my legislation, organizations that clean up abandoned mine lands would also find relief under the Clean Water Act and CERCLA. This step is critical to encourage volunteer clean-up of both coal and non-coal abandoned mine land sites —provided that their actions are not grossly negligent and are performed in good faith. The bill also authorizes the Bureau of Land Management to collect claim location and maintenance fees, both of which have not been authorized in the past.
Rather than trust our precious resources solely to an agency that has proven its own fallibility by actually causing the recent Colorado spills, H.R. 3843 increases our options by harnessing the skills of private industries and non-profit organizations for the benefit of the environment.
And as we've seen with the recent mining disasters in our area, expertise is vital when dealing with complex mining situations. In the Gold King mine spill, it was discovered that out of more than 15,000 employees EPA had no 'mining engineers' and only 68 geologists. Of these geologists, only two were assigned to Region 8 where the Colorado spills occurred.
To address the lack of expertise in our environmental agencies, the Mining Schools Enhancement Act invests in the next generation of engineers by providing additional funding to accredited mining schools. It also establishes research grants to rebuild a strong cohort between technical expertise and the public and private sectors.
However, without adequate funding even well-intentioned organizations can't afford to use their expertise to help clean up abandoned mines in the West. That is why this package also includes the Energy and Minerals Reclamation Foundation Establishment Act. This legislation creates a foundation so that concerned individuals and organizations, like environmental groups that have been so vocal on this issue, can raise money to help fund the clean-ups through the private sector.
Together, these three pieces of legislation collectively utilize all of our resources — federal agencies, non-profits, the private sector, and educational institutions — to ensure that we have all the tools necessary to clean up our nations abandoned mines and prevent any future Gold King Mine tragedies.
Rep. Doug Lamborn represents Colorado's 5th Congressional District. He is chairman of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee.
12/7/15
By Congressman Doug Lamborn
Imagine kayakers drifting through the neon waters of the Animas River. Or, think about toxic, heavy metals seeping into Crested Butte's drinking water and Indian reservation waters downstream. Unfortunately, these scenarios aren't figments of your imagination—they're a reality. With the recent Gold King Mine and Standard Mine spills, Colorado has suffered more than its fair share of environmental disasters caused by abandoned mines.
But the abandoned mine problem is bigger than just Colorado. It is estimated that there are as many as 400,000 abandoned mines in the western United States. Many of these mines contain heavy metals and other chemicals that could seriously damage the surrounding environment and jeopardize the health of nearby residents.
To prevent future catastrophes — not just for the next few years but well into the future—we need to adopt a multifaceted solution. We need a plan that addresses the financial hardship of mine cleanup, incentivizes the private sector to do its part without fear of crushing liability or overregulation, and teaches the next generation of engineers the best environmental and engineering practices.
To address these concerns, I have introduced new legislation as part of a larger package of bills that offers protection and incentives to well-intentioned private companies who can assist in the recovery of abandoned mine land.
The Locatable Minerals Claim Location and Maintenance Fees Act, H.R. 3843, would require the EPA to create "Good Samaritan" permits to provide limited liability protections for industry and non-profit groups who have the technical expertise to responsibly remediate abandoned mine lands.
Under my legislation, organizations that clean up abandoned mine lands would also find relief under the Clean Water Act and CERCLA. This step is critical to encourage volunteer clean-up of both coal and non-coal abandoned mine land sites —provided that their actions are not grossly negligent and are performed in good faith. The bill also authorizes the Bureau of Land Management to collect claim location and maintenance fees, both of which have not been authorized in the past.
Rather than trust our precious resources solely to an agency that has proven its own fallibility by actually causing the recent Colorado spills, H.R. 3843 increases our options by harnessing the skills of private industries and non-profit organizations for the benefit of the environment.
And as we've seen with the recent mining disasters in our area, expertise is vital when dealing with complex mining situations. In the Gold King mine spill, it was discovered that out of more than 15,000 employees EPA had no 'mining engineers' and only 68 geologists. Of these geologists, only two were assigned to Region 8 where the Colorado spills occurred.
To address the lack of expertise in our environmental agencies, the Mining Schools Enhancement Act invests in the next generation of engineers by providing additional funding to accredited mining schools. It also establishes research grants to rebuild a strong cohort between technical expertise and the public and private sectors.
However, without adequate funding even well-intentioned organizations can't afford to use their expertise to help clean up abandoned mines in the West. That is why this package also includes the Energy and Minerals Reclamation Foundation Establishment Act. This legislation creates a foundation so that concerned individuals and organizations, like environmental groups that have been so vocal on this issue, can raise money to help fund the clean-ups through the private sector.
Together, these three pieces of legislation collectively utilize all of our resources — federal agencies, non-profits, the private sector, and educational institutions — to ensure that we have all the tools necessary to clean up our nations abandoned mines and prevent any future Gold King Mine tragedies.
Rep. Doug Lamborn represents Colorado's 5th Congressional District. He is chairman of the Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee of the House Natural Resources Committee.
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