Ahead of Senate Mining Hearing, Groups Urge Senators to Prioritize Mining Reform and Reject Industry Handouts

Several environmental organizations sent a letter to members of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reiterating their support for the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act (CEMRA) while also stating their opposition to the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act. The letter comes as the Public Lands, Forests, and Mining Subcommittee holds a legislative hearing on the bills on December 12. As the clean energy transition drives mineral demand, the groups wrote that the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act would update the 1872 Mining Law to address modern challenges, protect the environment and sacred sites, and safeguard public health.

“We support CEMRA (S. 1742) because a clean energy transition does not require more dirty mining,” wrote the groups. “Some places are simply too special or sacred to be mined, and where mining does occur, we need greater accountability to ensure that projects will meet the highest environmental standards with minimal community impacts. Our laws must also require mining companies to clean up their own messes to prevent dangerous pollution impacting the environment and communities long after mining operations end.”

The groups rejected the premise that combating climate change requires more dirty mining, and registered their strong opposition to the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act (MRCA), a bill that would open even more of our public lands to mining interests.

“MRCA (S. 1281) is a highly problematic, unprecedented giveaway of America’s cherished public lands to mining corporations, upending and reversing over a hundred years of public land law precedent,” wrote the groups. “Under the bill, anyone — for a nominal fee — gains absolute rights to occupy land in perpetuity, construct massive waste dumps, and build roads and pipelines across public lands to the detriment of all other values. Despite what proponents contend, this legislation does NOT return the mining law to the status quo. This bill would tip the scales away from communities, the environment, and our clean energy future — giving the mining industry the power to dictate how we use our public lands.”

The latest letter comes as numerous groups have expressed their support of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act alongside broad opposition to the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act.

Last week, 115 conservation, environmental, and justice groups sent a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to support the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act.

Additionally, 90 organizations sent a letter to U.S. Senators urging them to oppose the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act.