Allard to fight mining plans

Critics fear provision will spark land sales

Rocky Mountain News

Published December 7, 2005 at midnight

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In a rare break with fellow Republicans, Sen. Wayne Allard said Tuesday that he will oppose proposed mining law changes that critics say would trigger a "fire sale" of public lands.

Environmentalists have expressed serious concerns about a mining provision included in a House of Representatives version of a pending budget bill.

Critics say the provision, backed by Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., would make changes in an 1872 mining law that could open millions of acres of public lands to mining operations.

Allard, R-Loveland, said in a release Tuesday that it's worth considering reforms to the mining law, but not in the middle of the budget debate.

"Concerns about the implications of this provision have been raised by public interest groups and private property groups," Allard said. "I look forward to working with my colleagues to update the 1872 mining law, but I do not believe the provision under consideration by the conference committee is the way to achieve this needed reform of the law."

As a member of the Senate Budget Committee, Allard is a candidate to sit on the House-Senate conference committee that will determine the final shape of the bill.

Meanwhile Tuesday, Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Denver, joined seven other Democrats from Western states in a letter to Senate leaders expressing their strong opposition to the mining provisions.

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