The NRC has seems determined to perpetuate rather than resolve this dangerous situation in the case of the Atlas site.

Mr. Speaker, ten and a half million tons of toxic wastes generated by the now-defunct Atlas Mine are stored in a tailings pond located immediately adjacent to the Colorado River near Moab, Utah.

Moving the tailings will remove the source of the contamination.

Today, Reps. Filner, Pelosi, Gutierrez, and I am introducing legislation to require the Department of Energy to move the tailings to a safe location.

Sadly, the NRC has seems determined to perpetuate rather than resolve this dangerous situation in the case of the Atlas site.

Over the past century, irresponsible and unwise mining operators have devastated over half a million acres of land--by acting without thought for the future or by simply walking away from played-out mines.

Over the past century, irresponsible and unwise mining operators have devastated over half a million acres of land--by acting without thought for the future or by simply walking away from played-out mines.

The effort to update the 1872 law has enjoyed vigorous, bipartisan support in the House of Representatives for many years.

Lack of Congressional action to reform this archaic law is indefensible--albeit a testament to the strength of the mining industry's influence on certain key Members who have consistently blocked any attempt to amend or replace the law…

The 106th Congress should impose a reasonable net smelter royalty on hard rock minerals extracted from public lands, dedicating the revenues to cleaning up abandoned mine sites, permanently extend the $100 rental fee, and close the…

This antiquated relic allows mining operators nearly unlimited access to our Nation's hard rock minerals, no matter what other values (such as fish and wildlife habitat) may also be present.

Leaving a huge, leaking tailings pile adjacent to the Colorado River does not make sense.

Mining reform is long overdue.

The only mining law reform bill Congress has sent to the President in recent years was part of the fiscal year 1995 budget reconciliation bill that President Clinton properly vetoed in December 1995.

I rise today with my colleague, Mr. Hoyer, to introduce the Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999.

It has been endorsed by state and local organizations such as the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislators, the National Association of Counties, and the National League of Cities.

The bill sunsets in five years and The National Academy for Public Administrators (NAPA) would submit an evaluation just prior to its sunsetting.

To address this concern we have introduced this short and straightforward legislation.