[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 60 (Monday, May 16, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 16, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
   THE 1872 MINING LAW MAY AUTHORIZE BIG GIVEAWAY TO CANADIAN MINING 
                                COMPANY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Peterson of Florida). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from California [Mr. Miller] is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, later today, unfortunately, 
the Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, is going to have to 
participate in the biggest giveaway of American resources in the 
history of this country. Because of the 1872 mining law that this 
Congress has refused to reform since that time, over the last 120 
years, the Secretary of the Interior is going to have to comply with 
that law and transfer to the American Barrick Mining Co, a Canadian-
owned mining company, 10 billion dollars' worth of gold to be mined in 
the coming years, and the Secretary will receive on behalf of the 
taxpayers and the citizens of this country $9,000, and that will be it. 
There will be no royalties, there will be no benefits to the American 
citizens or to the American taxpayers who own those public lands under 
which this gold resides, because of the 1872 Mining Act.
  This has been a long legacy of resource development in the United 
States, a long legacy of where those who were powerful and those who 
were privileged have been able to take water and gain water subsidies, 
those who have gotten below-cost sales of our timber and decimated our 
forests and clearcut our forests and exported logs overseas while 
paying very little to the taxpayers for the privilege of being able to 
use those lands to realize a profit and in many instances so decimating 
those lands that they have yet to return to productivity and leaving 
the taxpayer stuck with the cost.
  It is true of those who built the huge water projects and the dams 
out West where they were able to use taxpayer dollars to build these 
projects and yet receive subsidized water and not pay their fair share 
of those projects and sticking the taxpayers with the bill. It is true 
today of our grazing lands, where people are continuing to be able to 
graze cattle at below the cost of maintaining those lands, ruining 
those lands and causing great problems with the environment and those 
lands and still using the Federal taxpayers to underwrite the grazing 
of their cattle.
  It is true in the sale of gold and silver and other mineral leases on 
land where we do not receive a decent rate of return for the American 
taxpayer. It is true with the onshore and offshore oil and gas program, 
where we continue to let leases go to individuals and not receive a 
royalty on behalf of the taxpayer.
  But what is happening today in the transfer of this mineral lease to 
the American Barrick Mining Co. is unconscionable. That they would 
receive the right to mine 10 billion dollars' worth of gold for $9,000 
and not have to pay any royalty to the American taxpayer should never 
be allowed to continue, but unless the House of Representatives has 
already passed mining reform law and the Senate has passed it out, 
unless that conference committee can come together and agree upon the 
reforms of this land, this can happen again, because unfortunately, 
under the law, those who go out and stake out those kinds of claims are 
entitled to have the Secretary pass those claims to them.

                              {time}  1300

  We do not know that there are not other American Barrick-type claims, 
that there are not millions and billions of dollars worth of silver, 
platinum, gold, and other valuable minerals that are there under the 
lands owned by the public, that some future Secretary or this Secretary 
would be required to transfer to these corporations and receive nothing 
back for the owners of those lands, the American public.
  It is time to bring this sad, sad chapter in our history of mineral 
leasing and the stewardship of the public lands to a close. It is time 
for the Congress to agree on the reform of the act.
  President Clinton has made it very, very clear that he will sign the 
reform of the 1872 mining law if the Congress will send it to his desk. 
The Secretary of the Interior has made it very clear on behalf of the 
President and others in the administration that he strongly supports 
the reform of this act.
  Mr. Speaker, the time is now for the Congress to act and to send that 
bill to the President of the United States so never again, never again, 
are the taxpayers or citizens of this country to be treated as they are 
about to be treated this afternoon with the transfer of this land from 
the American taxpayer to American Barrick Mining, to the terrible, 
terrible disadvantage of the taxpayers and of the citizens of this 
country.

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