The US property is still happening?Well the last news out the good ol USA as follows which will kill mining on Fed Lands in the States
HARDROCK MINING AND RECLAMATION ACT OF 2009
Witnesses testify mining law reform bill will result in more U.S. job losses
Whatformer Interior Solicitor John Leshy called the most important taskamong public lands issues-mining law reform--is once again gatheringmomentum in a congressional subcommittee.
Author: Dorothy Kosich
Posted:Friday,27 Feb 2009
RENO, NV -
Asyet another in a steady stream of mining law reform bills kicked off inits first hearing in a congressional subcommittee Thursday, a Nevadalocal government official warned representatives, "It would beunforgivable if-especially now in a time of economic crisis-thisindustry was damaged or destroyed by well meaning but misguidedofficials from our own government."
In testimony before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee onEnergy & Mining, Elko County, Nevada, Commission Chair SheriEklund-Brown asked, "In my community, and maybe in yours, we often hearpeople wondering: why are Americas losing high-wage jobs? Why areindustries that support them moving off shore?"
"Well, here's one example: thoughtless regulation is driving themoffshore. The unintended consequences of this bill will inflictfar-reaching harm on communities like mine, sending our jobs overseas,"Eklund-Brown said. "Please keep this in mind as considering the miningindustry and its future in this country."
Congressman Dean Heller, R-Nevada, told the subcommittee, "WithNevada's unemployment at 9.1%, the mining industry and the jobs itcreates is one of the few bright spots in our current economicenvironment. It would be misguided to burden the mining industry withexcessive regulations and taxes if we want our economy in Nevada tothrive."
The Silver State "has had the highest foreclosure rate in the nationfor 23 straight months," Heller noted. "However, there are bright spotsin Nevada's economy that are still thriving, and those are the areaswhere mining activity is taking place."
"My primary concern is that changes made to the mining law shouldnot serve to increase our dependence on foreign sources of mineralresources that our nation needs and certainly should not increaseunemployment in my state," he added. "We have to get our mineralresources from somewhere and I believe we should get them in aresponsible manner from domestic resources mined by American workers."
However, Jim Star, a county commissioner in Gunnison Colorado,declared, "It is undeniable that the 1982 Mining Law, and itsparticulars, are antiquated and in need of immediate and wholesalereform."
While Star said Gunnison County recognizes hardrock minerals arevaluable natural resources that should be extracted and put tobeneficial uses, "it is only fair and prudent that a mechanism thatCongress adopts to make federal lands available to private hardrockextraction explicitly include measures to ensure the negative impactsbe avoided or minimized both by the federal government and theoperators."
Nevertheless, Star said, "I respectfully suggest that Congresscarefully examine, first, whether the patent process itself remains aviable, healthy tool-or whether a different process to make federallands available to private mineral extraction would better serve thecountry and still accomplish the mission."
Star suggested a tool currently exists that should be used toencourage exploration and the use of federal lands for mineralextraction-long term leasing of federal lands for oil and gasexploration and operations. "While this leasing regime has its ownflaws, one thing that it does NOT do is transfer fee simple ownershipof federal land to private parties."
"A second benefit of a federal lease mechanism would be that thefederal government will remain as a steward of its own land-enhancingits obligation and ability to protect those lands," Star asserted. "Afurther benefit of a non-fee-simple patent transfer is avoidance of theunintended but realistic consequence of public land going tin privatebut foreign ownership."
Meanwhile, Star also requested that protection of municipalwatersheds in critically sensitive areas should "require ademonstration by clear and convincing evidence that there are no otherlocations where the desired minerals can be extracted."
The House Subcommittee on Energy & Mines is reviewing H.R. 699,the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2009, which was introducedby House Resources Committee Chairman Nick J. Rahall, D-West Virginia.