The US House of Representatives has decided 216-195a bill Wednesday that would ease a restriction on mining operations, reversing a vote last week to send the bill back to committee.
The The invoice, authored by Republican Rep. Mark Amodei of Nevada, would clarify that mining companies can conduct mining support operations on federal lands even without first documenting a known mineral deposit. It reacts to a ruling by the Federal Court of Appeal from 2022 Restricting the apply of federal land by mining companies without a documented mineral deposit.
The Republican-controlled House of Representatives rejected the bill last week, Vote 210-206 adopt a motion to resubmit the measure to the House Natural Resources Committee. Six Republicans joined all Democrats in attendance to protest the bill.
Reps. Carol Miller and Alex Mooney of West Virginia both voted for the bill.
Lawmakers made no changes to the bill between the May 1 vote and Wednesday, but the presence of several Republicans on Wednesday who were absent last week allowed the measure to pass on a second attempt.
“Why the hell are we back in the House a week after we voted bipartisan to send this bad bill back to committee?” New Mexico Democrat Melanie Stansbury said during floor debate on Wednesday.
Stansbury called the bill a giveaway to mining companies, including those based in China and other countries.
Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota, chairman of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and leader of Wednesday’s Republican debate, made no mention of last week’s vote but continued to tout the bill as a benefit to domestic mining interests.
Promoting U.S. mining, particularly as an alternative to importing Chinese minerals, should be encouraged, he said. Domestic environmental and labor protection is stronger than in other countries, he said.
“I support fair labor standards, I support high environmental standards, I support increasing our national security,” Stauber said. “In short, I support domestic mining.”
The bill would go to a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Verdict which the Republicans did not agree with, said Stauber.
The ruling blocked an Arizona mining project from dumping tailings on U.S. Forest Service land. The court ruled that the mining company’s claim to the Forest Service land was invalid because no valuable mineral deposit had been proven there.
Mining interests have criticized the ruling, known as the Rosemont decision, because it restricts operations on federal lands.
“It’s a simple solution,” said Stauber. “We believe the court made a mistake, so it is our job to legislate.”
China debate
Stansbury said the bill could benefit subsidiaries of foreign mining companies, including Chinese companies.
It would allow Chinese companies to control U.S. federal territories, she said.
The author is Rep. John Moolenaar, a Republican from Michigan and chairman of the House Special Committee on the Chinese Communist Party a change to last month’s bill that would have banned companies or affiliates from enemy nations from mining on federal land.
The House Rules Committee declined to make the change, something New Mexico Democrat Teresa Leger Fernandez noted Wednesday.
Stauber said all companies operating in the U.S. must comply with labor and environmental standards.
He also responded to claims that the bill would encourage a takeover of federal lands by Chinese companies. The bill would not affect foreign mining operations in the United States, which is already permitted under current law.
