Revisions of Mining Law Put On Hold

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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mining14dec14,0,5701563.story?track=tottext

Revisions of Mining Law Put On Hold
Critics say the proposals, purged from budget bill, could have led to selling parkland to developers. A Nevada congressman says he'll try again.
By Janet Wilson and Bettina Boxall
Times Staff Writers

December 14, 2005

Republicans in Congress late Tuesday stripped proposed mining law revisions from a budget bill that critics said could have led to the sell-off of millions of acres of federal land, including portions of national parks and forests, such as Death Valley National Park and Mojave National Preserve.

The package faced mounting bipartisan opposition from Western senators, whose support was crucial, after scores of groups, including a coalition of hunting and fishing interests, complained. A Senate spokesman said opposition to the mining law revisions could have jeopardized passage of the budget bill.

In an interview with The Times, the author of the proposals, Rep. Jim Gibbons (R-Nev.), denied that criticism from park officials, hunting and fishing groups, and others had led to the decision. He said the furor was the result of "intentionally false and misleading information put out by anti-mining groups … that had no impact on the fact that we are here today."

Gibbons vowed to reintroduce what he called comprehensive mining reform legislation in the new year.<snip>

:-(

I fear for the ESA, even if the Senate gets rid of that crap bill I suspect that it's eviseration is on the top of Roberts' things-to-do list.

Did I mention that this is good???