Activists say US task force favors mining industry
Date: 15-Oct-02
Country: USA
The U.S. mining industry has been lobbying the government to ease bond requirements, or the payment posted by businesses to cover the cleanup of toxic chemicals, while environmental groups have argued that easing the rules would create higher costs for taxpayers.
In a letter to Interior secretary Gale Norton, the coalition members said the department's task force has held several meetings with the mining industry, but only one with concerned environmental groups and area residents.
The letter, signed by the Sierra Club and Wyoming Outdoor Council and other groups, called for a series of meetings between the task force and concerned groups to discuss the costs.
"If the task force does not hold such meetings, we urge you to return any recommendations from the task force with instructions to engage in a more complete consultative process," they wrote in the letter.
A spokeswoman with the Minerals Management Service, a division of the Interior Department, could not be reached for comment.
Hard-rock mining can pollute water and soil with heavy metals like cadmium, lead and arsenic that are released when minerals are extracted.
The mining industry has sought easing of bond requirements after a sour economy and Wall Street accounting scandals made it nearly impossible for companies to obtain bonds from insurers, required by the Interior before mining can begin on public lands.
Unable to secure funding, companies are left scrambling to cover the expected bonding amount by paying cash upfront or offering assets as collateral.
Environmental groups that oppose easing the rules say companies routinely underestimate cleanup costs.
The task force was formed in April at the request of the mining industry. The panel is expected to submit a recommendation to Norton this autumn.
