County

Why mining reform matters to all of us in Colorado

RBC — With record snows and a robust economy, this has been a season of good fortune for the resort town of Crested Butte in western Colorado. Yet our future hangs in the balance as Congress wrestles with an issue that ought to concern Americans everywhere: reform of the 1872 Mining Law.
How Congress proceeds could determine the fate of our community and whether many of the things that make Crested Butte such an attractive place to live and play — our healthy mountain environment and recreation-based economy — will be spoiled by the large-scale molybdenum mine proposed right in our municipal watershed.
Just like many other towns in the West, we treasure our rich mining heritage. But honoring the past doesn’t mean we must live with its destructive relics and the mining rules set 136 years ago during the administration of President Ulysses S. Grant are indeed relics.
The mining law made mineral exploration and development the “highest and best use” of our federal lands in 1872. Virtually unchanged since that time, it still regulates hardrock mineral development and mining on our vast system of federal lands. This law may have made sense in the frontier days when Congress was eager to settle the West but it no longer makes sense when Western communities survive in large part because of recreation, tourism and access to public lands.
We know that the federal land managers who oversee our forests and rangelands treasure the open space, clean water, recreation opportunities and wildlife habitat that public lands nourish. But the 1872 Mining Law makes it all but impossible for them to deny mining proposals that could destroy those values. Worst of all, local residents have virtually no clout with the Forest Service about whether a project goes forward. Under current law, local and state officials are even more powerless.
Yet here in Crested Butte, we are faced with a proposed mine just two miles from town. As we understand it today, the “Lucky Jack Project” would deposit hundreds of thousands of tons of tailings and other wastes close to town and harm the valuable recreation lands and wildlife habitats that are our economic lifeblood.
Legislation passed by the U.S. House of Representatives this past October, H.R. 2262, would go a long way toward correcting these injustices. For the first time in more than a century, it would give federal land managers the power to reject a mine where other values like recreation, sensitive wildlife areas and critical waters are found to be paramount. It would also free special federal lands, including roadless forests and wilderness study areas, from the 1872 Mining Law.
Of particular importance to local and state officials, it would allow us to petition the secretary of interior to withdraw from mining special places like our municipal watershed. This is a good start, though I believe that municipal watersheds should, as a class and without exception, be declared unsuitable for mining.
The House legislation also contains provisions that recognize state and local regulation of hardrock mineral development, ensuring compliance through reclamation and environmental protection standards established under local, state and federal laws. In addition, the House bill would, for the first time, require mining companies to pay royalties for operating on federal lands.
Recently, the U.S. Senate began its review of the 1872 Mining Law. In the coming weeks, senators on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources will be debating behind closed doors whether and how to overhaul the 1872 Mining Law. For Crested Butte and other recreation-based communities throughout the West, I believe it is essential to retain the environmental protections in the House bill. The mining industry will argue its needs come first: I say the West has moved on to a different reality.
I want to make it clear that I don’t oppose mining; it’s critical to our nation’s security. But it is time for our elected officials to do the right thing for communities that must live with mining on their doorstep. Current laws have failed to protect public lands from the effects of mining, as anyone can attest who has ever hiked in the mountains. Some streams run orange with acid mine drainage and waste from abandoned mines still litters the landscape. It’s time to stop adding to that sad legacy.

Alan Bernholtz is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a service of High Country News (hcn.org). He is the mayor of Crested Butte, Colo.

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  • Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
  • The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
  • It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
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  • It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
  • Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
Jake Blazon at bat for the Meeker Cowboys. The MHS team brought home two wins against Olathe and lost two against the North Fork Miners. The location for this weekend’s games has not been announced due to weather and field conditions. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
The 2024 Meeker High School boys basketball team held their awards banquet last week. Jace Mobley was named Player of the Western Slope League and all-conference, Ryan Sullivan all-conference, Jonathon Fitzgibbons all-conference, Ethan Quinn honorable mention all-conference, Jacob Simonsen honorable mention all conference. Mobley will play in All State games. Coach Klark Kindler was named Western Slope Coach of the Year. Left to right: Bryan Rosas, Simonsen, Quinn, Fitzgibbons, Mobley and Sullivan.
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It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 
🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week.
Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! 
We appreciate all your continued support!
It's that time again! Another edition of great local news stories is 🐰 Hopping 🐰 your way this morning! Catch up on everything thats 🐣 hatching 🐣 in Rio Blanco County this week. Need a copy? Signing up is fast and easy! Visit our website at ht1885.com/subscribe to get a copy sent to your door every week! We appreciate all your continued support!
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It’s getting late, do you know where your kids are? Read all the Rio Happenings for this week in print or online at ht1885.com.
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View on Instagram |
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Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line.  The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale.
Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch.  See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
Mormon crickets have hatched near Rangely. They were all sighted on BLM land north of Hwy. 64 near the junction of CR 96 and CR 1, down a dirt road near the Moffat County line. The picture shown was taken yesterday by Mary Meinen from Rangely. She says the crickets are about the size of a ladybug (less than 1/2”). Some of them are actually yellow in color but most of them are darker. They are milling around and getting ready to start moving soon. Note: Photo is not to scale. Rio Blanco County and the White River and Douglas Creek Conservation Districts are still asking for your help to identify additional hatch-outs of crickets so that control efforts can be put in place. The success of the program will highly depend upon local landowners and the public helping to locate crickets as soon as they hatch. See last week’s paper for a list of ways to help or contact the County Weed & Pest District at 970-878-9670 or the Conservation District office at 970-878-9838 with any questions. Website: www.WhiteRiverCD.com
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Meeker FFA Chapter members competed at the District Leadership Development Event in Craig, Colorado, this month. Top row from left to right: Eva Scritchfield, Charlie Rogers, Alan Rivera, Trent Sanders, Koy Weber, Orion Musser, Said Rodriguez, Carlos Carrillo, Aidan Tapia, Hayden Garcia, Tristan Rollins, Mathew Willey, Quentin Simpson. Middle row: Sidney Keetch, Aurora Stallings, Sydnie Ross, Ava Nay, Lili Piper, Leah Wood. Bottom Row: Jaicee Simmons, Kailynn Watson, Cody Richardson, Kayla Castillo, Braydin Raley, Autumn Stallings, Aimee Shults, Emily Hamm. Read the full story online at ht1885.com.
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A crew from the Flat Tops Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joined forces last summer to remove obsolete fences to improve habitat for wildlife. Read the full story and the foundation’s update from their 30th Anniversary meeting in this week’s edition and online at ht1885.com.
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