Rep. Stansbury Defends Public Lands from Mining Pollution

VIDEO: Watch Rep. Stansbury’s remarks here.  

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) outlined her opposition to H.R. 1335 – the Transparency, Accountability, Permitting and Production of (TAPP) American Resources Act during a full House Committee on Natural Resources markup.  

During the hearing, Rep. Stansbury addressed the importance of public lands to Tribal Nations and communities across New Mexico, underscoring the ways in which the House Republican bill would roll back critical environmental protections for the benefit of the oil and gas industry.  

“I think it’s important for folks to understand – especially who are watching this – what exactly this bill is,” said Rep. Stansbury. “It’s been put forward as a permitting reform bill in the name of bringing down prices to address energy needs and other needs across the U.S. But what it really is, is a shocking grab-bag of random federal giveaways to industry, oil and gas, mining, and operations associated with it.” 

During the hearing, Rep. Stansbury offered her amendment to protect public lands across New Mexico and the nation from mining waste and development by striking Section 307 from H.R. 1335. This section contains dangerous language that would allow mining operations to lock up public lands in perpetuity for ancillary use, including dumping waste, even if there are no mineral deposits. Under the antiquated Mining Law of 1872, this section would give any corporation who files paperwork and pays a small fine priority over all other uses and even supersedes Tribal treaty rights.  

“We have developed years and years of protections for our public lands because we understand that not only are they a valuable asset to us as a country, to our communities, to our environment, but because it is essential to protect these lands from development,” Rep. Stansbury continued. “So my amendment, respectfully offered here, would strip Section 307 out of the bill, which is an egregious overstep and giveaway of our federal lands and sacred spaces to private mining entities.”  

BACKGROUND 

• Rep. Stansbury Calls for Bipartisan Action on Climate Change and Sustainable Critical Minerals Solutions During First Natural Resources Oversight Subcommittee Hearing as Ranking Member 
• Heinrich, Stansbury Lead Introduction of Buffalo Tract Protection Act 

Rep. Stansbury’s remarks as delivered can be found below:  

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I want to also take a moment to say to our Ranking Member, it's wonderful to see her sitting in that chair.  

And I really appreciate the debate and discussion this morning on this bill. I think it is very important for the American people to have the opportunity to see the contrasting visions that we have for how we advance our country, meet the economic needs of our people, and protect the environment and address the climate crisis.  

The amendment that I am offering to this bill would strike Section 307 of the ANS, and I think it's important for folks to understand – especially who are watching this – what exactly this bill is. It's been put forward as a permitting reform bill in the name of bringing down prices to address energy needs and other needs across the U.S. But what it really is, is a shocking grab bag of random federal giveaways to industry, oil and gas, mining, operations associated with it.  

We're talking about a bill that would make vast changes to underlying environmental laws, mining laws, oil and gas laws that have developed not only over decades, but in some cases have been developed since the 19th century.  

Laws that we put in place here in this Congress to protect the American people from pollution, from having spaces that were sacred to our Tribal Nations, or important to our communities, be strip mined, have waste dumped into our waters, and lose really critical places for our people in so many different ways.  

And one of the more egregious sections of this bill is Section 307, which really modifies our antiquated mining system. So what this amendment would do is take this portion of the bill, which would allow private corporations or entities to go on to a piece of public land, maybe that piece of land is a sacred site to a Tribe. Maybe that piece of land is your favorite trail that you hike on every day. Maybe it's a parcel that's important to a critical watershed that provides water for millions of people.  

And that entity could make a mining claim whether they found minerals there or not. And then begin to conduct prospecting, exploration, processing, discovery, development, extracting, reclamation, or any other incidental activity – any other incidental activity – whether or not there was a mining claim on that or not. 

This is like taking us back to the 19th century and 19th century mining laws when we allowed individuals to go onto lands that were incorporated into the U.S. and strip mine them, use them for prospecting, use them for development.  

We have developed years and years of protections for our public lands because we understand that not only are they a valuable asset to us as a country, to our communities, to our environment, but because it is essential to protect these lands from development. So my amendment, respectfully offered here, would strip this section out of the bill, which is an egregious overstep and giveaway of our federal lands and sacred spaces to private mining entities. And I yield back.