TOPLINE MESSAGES:

• Hundreds of thousands of abandoned hardrock mines across the nation create major environmental, public health, and safety hazards, and there needs to be a dedicated source of funding to address those.
• With cleanup costs in the tens of billions, volunteer efforts will not be nearly enough to address these abandoned mines. Mining companies must pay their share to clean up the pollution left behind as a result of their industry’s history.
• The bigger picture is that the Mining Law of 1872 – an antiquated law that embodies a long-outdated vision of mining and the American West – needs comprehensive reform.