Congreessman Salazar Speaks Out Against Harmful Mining Law

Congressman Salazar has received several phone calls and emails from constituents and elected officials from San Miguel and Pitkin county expressing their dismay at a provision to open up public lands to private claims.

“A budget is supposed to be about getting our finances in order, so it really doesn’t make sense to put in provisions that may hurt our local economies.

“This Congress is 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. 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.

“Even the thought of changing our landscape in a way that impacts our economies deserves an open, honest, and public discussion. A decades old problem cannot be solved overnight and certainly not as a last minute insertion into a budget bill. The provision needs to be pulled from this bill and addressed on its own, so that everyone can understand the impact to our communities.”