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Mining claims rise in California (and throughout the West) while legislators learn of the ever present effects of the Gold Rush era

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 11, 2008 at 4:30 pm

From the Los Angeles Times:

Propelled by soaring prices for gold, copper, uranium and other metals, new mining claims on federal land are surging near heavily populated areas in the West, according to an analysis of federal records by the Environmental Working Group.

More than 16,000 such claims have been staked in the last five years, including nearly 1,700 in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The new claims bring the total of active claims within five miles of population centers to nearly 51,600, said the report, which was released today by the non-profit organization.

The total number of mining claims has doubled in the last five years, from 207,540 in 2003 to 414,228 in January 2008, said the report.

Mining claims on Western federal lands are governed by a law passed in 1872 and signed by President Ulysses S. Grant. But since then, the frontier has given way to suburbs, tourist resorts and retirement communities, and the law provides little recourse for local, state or tribal governments if they object to the encroachment of an industry that could bring open pits, acid drainage and pollution of water and air close to their borders.

“The growing West is on a collision course with a global land rush for minerals,” said Dusty Horwitt, senior public lands analyst for the environmental group.

The National Mining Assn. estimates that fewer than 5% of claims are actually developed into mining operations. Still, the prospect of mines in proximity to settled communities “is a concern,” said Bill Wicker, a spokesman for the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The issue is expected to be “part of the larger debate” about reform of the mining law, Wicker said.

Meanwhile, California is still dealing with the effects of the intense mining during the Gold Rush era, which polluted the environment with contaminants that are still around today:

The Sierra Fund released Mining’s Toxic Legacy: An Initiative to Address Mining Toxins in the Sierra Nevada yesterday, a report nearly two years in development. This is the first comprehensive look at the long-term impacts of the Gold Rush on the culture, environment and health of Californians.

The Sierra Fund worked with researchers at California State University Chico, tribal representatives, government scientists, conservation leaders and medical professionals to develop the report.

“All Californians should take note of The Sierra Fund’s findings. This issue affects the fish we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe. And we are only just beginning to appreciate the magnitude of the problem,” said Assemblywoman Lois Wolk, who chairs the Assembly Water, Parks, and Wildlife Committee. “While over a dozen state and federal agencies are working to resolve the existing risks to public safety and the environment we inherited from the gold rush era, just over 5 percent of the state’s abandoned mine sites have been inventoried at this point. Assessing the remaining mine sites and addressing existing risks swiftly and effectively will require close collaboration between stakeholders and state, federal and local government. This hearing lays the groundwork for that effort.”

“We learned that, though well-known toxins are present throughout the land and water of the Sierra Nevada, there has never been any research into the health impacts of this ongoing exposure on Sierra residents,” notes Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, CEO of The Sierra Fund. “In fact, we learned that many local health clinics don’t routinely advise their pregnant clients, or those with young children, about the recommended limits on consumption of area fish due to high levels of mercury in that fish. We are calling for immediate research to understand the potential health impacts of these exposures.”

Hearings were recently held regarding the report’s findings in Sacramento. Read the full text of the article from Yuba.Net by clicking here.

March 11, 2008 · Filed Under Water & the Environment

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