Nick Rahall: “I have invested a great deal of time, indeed years, in an effort to reform the Mining Law of 1872. To be clear, I fully…”

“I have invested a great deal of time, indeed years, in an effort to reform the Mining Law of 1872. To be clear, I fully support this amendment. It represents a type of policy that should be in place. At the same time, it is far past time to be doing piecemeal reform of the Mining Law of 1872. The solution is, without a doubt, comprehensive reform, not this piecemeal fashion that we have been doing. I have stood on this floor with amendments and bills on this issue, yet the hard heads in the hardrock mining industry just do not get it. They have not gotten it yet. Their allies in this body, although in a minority, are in a position to block comprehensive reform measures from being considered in committee; so we are forced to come to the floor with amendments of this nature or amendments that I have offered in the past on efforts to stop the patenting of mining claims and to uphold the millsite decision. This will continue until the mining industry comes to the table. Mr. Chairman, I say to the industry, come to the table. Negotiate. Compromise. My door is open. We will find common ground. Not ground sold for $2.50 an acre under a 19th century law. No, not that common ground.”