The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy & Mining held a hearing in Reno on Thursday about the proposed revision of the 1872 mining law, and got an earful from both mining proponents and opponents.
In what sounds like a repeat of the debate that has echoed across the country and especially the West for the past few decades, opponents blast mining for environmental problems, past and potential. Proponents argue for the economic benefits and national security needs met by mining jobs. Mineweb.com as usual, has a good synopsis of the hearing with pithy quotes from both sides.
[right, the stereotypical lone miner and burros, searching for gold and other minerals in the early West. Credit, Arizona Historical Foundation]