🚀 go-pugleaf

From: Bill Robinson <wrob@TMN.COM>
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.ecolog-l

               SHAM MINERAL MINING REFORM IN SENATE

             ALERT FROM MINERAL POLICY CENTER MAY 13, 1993

          FOLLOW-UP TO "ROGUE BUREAUCRACY" PAPERS - INTERNET



     While Congress stalls, foriegn and domestic corporations
     are rushing to take claim to more than $86.6 BILLION worth
     of metal ore now owned by taxpayers and under public
     lands, for $5 or less per surface acre only.  (This figure
     is adjusted from the earlier one of $91.3 Billion by the
     Mineral Policy Center, Room 550, 1325 Mass. Av. NW,
     Washington, D.C. - Fax 202-737-1875; Pho. 737-1872.)

     A 'sham' Senate bill (S.775) has been introduced which
     lets mining company accountants DEDUCT all "direct and
     indirect costs" and then pay only 2% of what's left,
     or about $0.21 per ounce.  And all existing claims
     are excluded from paying any royalty.  This has been
     dubbed a 'bait and switch' royalty provision.


          S.775 also requires up-front payment to the
          government only for "surface value", not the
          value of the ore in the ground (PLATINUM, GOLD
          AND SILVER) for six more months after it is law.

          S.775 carries NO RECLAMATION standards, and the
          language it carries referring to "existing law"
          in this regard is a joke.  There are no standards
          in the 1872 Mining Law, either!

     The Western Senators who stopped the original reforms
     from being part of the budget package were Max Baucus,
     plus Bingaman, Bryan, Campbell, DeConcini, Dorgan and
     Reid.  Add Larry Craig (R-ID) to the list now, since
     he introduced what Mineral Policy Center is calling
     'SHAM 775'.

     Senator Bumbers of Arkansas has agreed to let SHAM 775
     go to a House-Senate Conference based on Senate Energy
     Committee Chairman J. Bennett Johnston's claim that
     the content is not "binding".  SHAM 775 passed the
     Johnston committee with no amendments on May 6, 1993,
     and may have already gone to the Senate Floor as
     I write this update (May 19, 1993).





     WHAT YOU CAN DO !!

     *    WRITE/CALL Vice President Al Gore to oppose S.775.
          Ask him to support Bumper's Comprehensive Reform
          Bill (S.257) and Congressman Rahall's bill (H.R.
          322.)  Gore's No. is 202-456-7125.

     *    URGE YOUR Senators and Representatives to support
          an immediate ban on these give-aways.  Call
          202-224-3121 and ask for the Senators from your
          State.  Also, 202-225-3121 for the Representatives
          in the House.

     25,000 people got this information in early May of 1993.
     Let's quintuple that, at a minimum, through Internet!!!

     Submitted by William E. Robinson, Jr., Founder,
     Alliance for Royalty Compliance (ARC), 7409 Maple Avenue,
     Takoma Park, MD 20912.  Phone 301-270-8057 evenings
     and weekends.  Author, ROGUE BUREAUCRACY series ported
     to 3 or more Internet LISTS in April 1993.


--

      Una Smith      Department of Biology       smith-una@yale.edu
                     Yale University
                     New Haven, CT  06511