Crested Butte Colorado is a veritable
paradise of stunning scenery cheap
shopping and ski resorts but it comes
the price a small vacant lot here can
sell for more than half a million
dollars and yet the mountaintop the
towers above this town was recently sold
by the US government to a private
company for the staggering sum of eight
hundred seventy five dollars that’s
right 875 bucks the bargain basement
sale was allowed under an 1872 law that
gives hardrock mining companies the
right to buy federal land and 1872
prices which amounts to five dollars or
less an acre
that means the mining companies can take
valuable resources such as gold silver
uranium and copper from public lands for
almost nothing while oil and coal
companies must pay the United States
royalties for the resources they extract
from federal lands the 1872 law designed
to promote development when the West was
young further gives mining priority over
using Western land for other interests
such as recreation and conservation
the 1872 mining act basically reads like
a ripley’s believe it or not because
mining is operating under a framework
that was developed in the 19th century
there are very few environmental
safeguards incorporated into the law
mining of metals like silver and gold
once dominated this region and some old
mines now serve to remind tourists of
how the west was won the
conservationists argue that the old law
designed to regulate picks and shovels
is no match for the cavernous pits and
toxic chemicals used in modern mining
companies have staked new claims within
miles of the Grand Canyon one study
shows an 80% increase in new claims
across the West
thousands near national treasures and
then there’s the pollution
environmentalist worry the proposed
Crested Butte belivet of mine on the
mountain known as the red lady will
endanger the town below the fundamental
fact is that the government feels that
because of the 1872 mining law they
can’t say no wait a minute we don’t want
that waste pile right next to the stream
or we don’t think there should be a mine
in right above the town because of the
dust that would blow in or the water
pollution or the destruction of the
quality of life of the town under the
1872 mining law the federal government
and the mining industry argue tough luck
we’re putting our mind there molybdenum
is a metal used to strengthen steel a
similar mine in questa New Mexico is
believed to have left tailings of
hazardous chemicals in the Red Rock
River likely affecting the many aquatic
species and migratory birds
it’s waters
retired miner Roberto vigil has seen the
evidence a lot of what we see in the
river we have been told that it’s
aluminum sulfate of some sort
I think it’s been identified that died
there’s a lot of other other heavy
metals in the river that are highly
toxic the mining industry counters that
the questa mine is being cleaned up and
contains that all mining operations must
adhere to laws aim to control pollution
in addition the industry points out that
almost a million acres of former mines
have been successfully restored most in
the industry also agree that mining
companies should pay for minerals taken
from federal land but argues u.s. mines
need to retain enough profit to stay
internationally competitive we have
supported changes to the mining law for
over a decade we have to keep in mind
that metals are sold on an open market
regardless of where their minds so we
want to keep the United States cost
competitive so that we supply the
materials that we need here in this
country costs here in the United States
are high because of salaries and other
regulatory obligations that we have
[Music]
conservationists worry though the
Western landscape is littered with old
mines of companies that have gone out of
business leaving the government to clean
up toxic messes some designated as
Superfund sites they point to coal gas
and timber industries which pay the
government hefty royalties
advocates want metal minds to pay up
also to help offset the cost of the
massive cleanup for decades lighting
companies and Western lawmakers have
stymied attempts to change the 1872 law
the conservationists look like those at
Pew trust believe change is in the air
one of the reasons why it has been
so difficult to change is because the
mining industry has been such a powerful
force in the West but things have
changed and in the past couple of
decades the rapid population growth in
the West the increased focus on
recreation on conservation really mean I
think that the tide has turned in this
battle and we feel optimistic that there
will be some changes in the near future
to an act that has long been outdated
its prime after a century and a half of
development America may believe that
it’s worth keeping some of the wild in
the Wild West after all sponsored by
National Geographic mission programs
taking science and exploration into the
new millennium
paradise of stunning scenery cheap
shopping and ski resorts but it comes
the price a small vacant lot here can
sell for more than half a million
dollars and yet the mountaintop the
towers above this town was recently sold
by the US government to a private
company for the staggering sum of eight
hundred seventy five dollars that’s
right 875 bucks the bargain basement
sale was allowed under an 1872 law that
gives hardrock mining companies the
right to buy federal land and 1872
prices which amounts to five dollars or
less an acre
that means the mining companies can take
valuable resources such as gold silver
uranium and copper from public lands for
almost nothing while oil and coal
companies must pay the United States
royalties for the resources they extract
from federal lands the 1872 law designed
to promote development when the West was
young further gives mining priority over
using Western land for other interests
such as recreation and conservation
the 1872 mining act basically reads like
a ripley’s believe it or not because
mining is operating under a framework
that was developed in the 19th century
there are very few environmental
safeguards incorporated into the law
mining of metals like silver and gold
once dominated this region and some old
mines now serve to remind tourists of
how the west was won the
conservationists argue that the old law
designed to regulate picks and shovels
is no match for the cavernous pits and
toxic chemicals used in modern mining
companies have staked new claims within
miles of the Grand Canyon one study
shows an 80% increase in new claims
across the West
thousands near national treasures and
then there’s the pollution
environmentalist worry the proposed
Crested Butte belivet of mine on the
mountain known as the red lady will
endanger the town below the fundamental
fact is that the government feels that
because of the 1872 mining law they
can’t say no wait a minute we don’t want
that waste pile right next to the stream
or we don’t think there should be a mine
in right above the town because of the
dust that would blow in or the water
pollution or the destruction of the
quality of life of the town under the
1872 mining law the federal government
and the mining industry argue tough luck
we’re putting our mind there molybdenum
is a metal used to strengthen steel a
similar mine in questa New Mexico is
believed to have left tailings of
hazardous chemicals in the Red Rock
River likely affecting the many aquatic
species and migratory birds
it’s waters
retired miner Roberto vigil has seen the
evidence a lot of what we see in the
river we have been told that it’s
aluminum sulfate of some sort
I think it’s been identified that died
there’s a lot of other other heavy
metals in the river that are highly
toxic the mining industry counters that
the questa mine is being cleaned up and
contains that all mining operations must
adhere to laws aim to control pollution
in addition the industry points out that
almost a million acres of former mines
have been successfully restored most in
the industry also agree that mining
companies should pay for minerals taken
from federal land but argues u.s. mines
need to retain enough profit to stay
internationally competitive we have
supported changes to the mining law for
over a decade we have to keep in mind
that metals are sold on an open market
regardless of where their minds so we
want to keep the United States cost
competitive so that we supply the
materials that we need here in this
country costs here in the United States
are high because of salaries and other
regulatory obligations that we have
[Music]
conservationists worry though the
Western landscape is littered with old
mines of companies that have gone out of
business leaving the government to clean
up toxic messes some designated as
Superfund sites they point to coal gas
and timber industries which pay the
government hefty royalties
advocates want metal minds to pay up
also to help offset the cost of the
massive cleanup for decades lighting
companies and Western lawmakers have
stymied attempts to change the 1872 law
the conservationists look like those at
Pew trust believe change is in the air
one of the reasons why it has been
so difficult to change is because the
mining industry has been such a powerful
force in the West but things have
changed and in the past couple of
decades the rapid population growth in
the West the increased focus on
recreation on conservation really mean I
think that the tide has turned in this
battle and we feel optimistic that there
will be some changes in the near future
to an act that has long been outdated
its prime after a century and a half of
development America may believe that
it’s worth keeping some of the wild in
the Wild West after all sponsored by
National Geographic mission programs
taking science and exploration into the
new millennium
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