Democrats in Congress are hoping to overhaul the nation’s...

Democrats in Congress are hoping to overhaul the nation’s 150-year-old system for mining the elements needed for battery manufacturing, as high gas prices and Russia’s war in Ukraine underline the need to transition from oil and gas to renewable energy sources.U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico have each sponsored bills that would set environmental and reclamation standards. Their legislation also would require mining companies to clean up abandoned mines, lease the federal lands they operate on and pay royalties for the revenue from public lands.

Tuesday, the 150th anniversary of President Ulysses S. Grant’s signing of the General Mining Act of 1872, Grijalva, Heinrich and California Democratic Rep. Alan Lowenthal said those bills were necessary to provide an overdue update to the mining law.

https://www.azmirror.com/2022/05/10/democrats-from-the-west-push-update-of-150-year-old-federal-mining-law/

jimbob13 posted yesterday that “Congress sits today and over the next two weeks, fair to expect a decision on water rights to Hualapai tribe as stated previously.” I hope he wasn’t referring to the bill introduced recently that was the same as the one that went nowhere in 2019. Getting any bill through committee hearings and votes, then on the agenda of both houses, can take years. And Senate passage is impossible when a 60% majority is required to bring up most questions. Same thing with mining law reform – the Republicans are bought and paid for by the mining interests, and you can be sure nothing will happen.

Yarragadee today says, “Happy to see BLM post federal election.” What in the world is he talking about? Primary elections in two states yesterday, both parties selecting their candidates for November. There will be primary elections every week or so through July, for both federal and state offices. Try not to think about American politics, you won’t understand.