HARMFUL MINING PROVISION PULLED FROM BUDGET BILL

Salazar Claims Victory for Rural Residents, Local Economy

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman John T. Salazar (CO-3) released the following statement today claiming a victory for the residents of rural Colorado and announcing the removal of harmful mining provisions from the Budget Reconciliation Bill.

“The removal of these harmful mining provisions is the direct result of pressure from Western voices – everyone from local county officials to Members of Congress recognized the danger this provision posed to our landscape and local economies. 

“Bartering public lands to balance the budget is bad public policy. Our public lands are a valuable resource to be preserved for future generations. Even the thought of changing our landscape in a way that impacts our economies deserves an open, honest, and public discussion.

“This Congress has been in the habit of fast tracking decisions about public lands without even pretending to give communities a chance to understand the real impact.  I honestly think some folks in Washington don’t want people to know what’s really happening. A decades old problem cannot be solved overnight and certainly not as a last minute insertion into a budget bill. Our job in Congress is to protect the public interest and work together to find common sense solutions to problems, not hide information or sneak in special interest provisions.

“Communities across Colorado united to oppose to this wholesale opening up of public lands to mineral development – today’s success is proof that by uniting together, rural communities can make a difference.”

With more than 70% of his district being public lands, Salazar declared early on his opposition to efforts to open up public lands to mineral development. Salazar has opposed the mining provisions since they appeared in the House version of the bill. Early this month, Salazar joined with Congressman Mark Udall (CO-2) in a letter to pressure their colleagues to eliminate the provisions from the final bill.