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House Natural Resources Committee To Take Up Mining Act Of 1872

The House Committee on Natural Resources will discuss changes Tuesday to a mining law that dates back to 1872.

Critics of the law say it’s time that mining companies pay royalties.

Conservationists have struggled for years against a mining law passed in the aftermath of the Civil War, long before the nation understood the environmental consequences of mining.

Over the years, a number of mining companies have gone bankrupt, leaving taxpayers with a costly cleanup.

House Democrats in some western states say that at the very least, the government should be able to collect royalties on minerals extracted from public lands.

The committee is chaired by Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva.

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Ron Dungan was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2020 to 2024.