Dale Bumpers: “here is what the new regulations contain: Regulations to minimize adverse environmental impacts, if economically and…”

“here is what the new regulations contain: Regulations to minimize adverse environmental impacts, if economically and technically feasible--that is a pretty big loophole; that is what these new regulations provide--reclaim the land to its prior condition; bonding, enough bond to cover reclamation costs; and, protect the air and water quality. Let me ask my opponents on this issue, to which of those do you object? To what do you object? Mr. President, these arguments about the poor gold miners processing gold--I have heard those same arguments year after year, and sometimes when gold was more than $400 an ounce. If gold is cheap, that is the argument. If gold is high, then it is jobs. If neither apply, then it is that bad old Federal Government trying to regulate our lives-- anything under God's Sun to keep from doing anything to make the mining companies of this country do it right. This is the simplest amendment in the world. Everybody knows what it is. For 17 years, since 1981, we have been living with regulations for the most part which were hopelessly out of date. In the meantime, we have been allowing cyanide to go into the rivers and streams and the underground aquifers of this country, and they don't want to do anything about it. They don't want a regulation or a rule that makes people responsible for that. I think I have said everything I can possibly say about this issue. I will simply say I may lose this afternoon, and probably will.…”