David Gowdey

PERSPECTIVE

In the early hours of Friday morning, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill that is undoubtedly one of the most controversial in recent years. The bill passed by only two votes, and now heads to a House-Senate conference committee. Hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Wyoming are at risk under the provisions of this bill, and we urge citizens who value public lands to take action. Here's why:

Hidden in the language of this bill is a section inserted by Rep. Pombo of California that would again allow mining companies to buy public lands - potentially removing millions of acres from public ownership throughout the West. A new twist to this legislation is that it basically eliminates the requirement on companies to prove that there are valuable mineral deposits beneath the lands they are seeking to buy. It also removes the requirement that they actually mine the lands once they've bought them. Once a company owns the land, they can do whatever they want with it - including turning it into subdivisions or golf courses. This provision, if it passes through the conference committee, would be a disaster for wildlife and for those millions of hunters, anglers and citizens who use and love our public lands.

At immediate risk in Wyoming are 353,499 acres (nearly 600 square miles) of existing mining claims that could be sold to developers at bargain-basement prices. Big Horn County is at greatest risk with 67,071 acres of current mining claims. However, it isn't only existing mining claims that could be at risk. The new law also provides that lands contiguous to mining claims can be sold without even having to prove that they contain valuable deposits - so companies can potentially purchase public lands merely by showing that someone once had a mining claim nearby. Those of us who use public lands in Wyoming know how many abandoned claims and workings are scattered across our public lands and how much land could potentially be bought and removed from public access.

When the mining law of 1872 passed, the United States was a very different place. The law was meant to encourage the economic development of mineral reserves in the vast, unpopulated spaces of the West. It contained provisions that allowed miners to purchase public lands for as little as five dollars an acre provided they work their claims, and, unlike the rules for oil and gas development, did not require them to pay royalties to the U.S. Treasury on the minerals they found. Ten years ago the Congress, recognizing that this law was giving away valuable public land for almost no return to the taxpayer, enacted a moratorium on mining patents - the sale of public lands to mining companies. The Pombo language in the reconciliation bill would end that moratorium.

Ironically, the justification for ending the moratorium on mining patents and selling off our public lands is to gain money to reduce the budget deficit. However, selling public lands for $1,000 an acre - lands that theoretically contain valuable mineral deposits - is a fiscally irresponsible way to raise money for the U.S. government. It's the equivalent of selling the roof off of your house to pay the mortgage. The more fiscally responsible way would be to implement the same system we have for the oil and gas industry - leasing the land and charging royalties on the minerals found there.

Whatever way you look at Pombo's provision, which allows for the privatization of huge amounts of public lands in the West, it is a bad deal for the citizens of Wyoming and the United States. It's bad for wildlife, it's bad for those of us who hunt and fish, and in particular it's bad for our grandchildren and future generations of Wyomingites who won't have access to hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands that we now enjoy. This is why the Wyoming Wildlife Federation is strongly opposing this language in the House Reconciliation Bill and why we are urging our members to contact Sens. Craig Thomas and Mike Enzi to ensure that it is removed in the conference committee. We urge all Wyoming citizens that care about our public lands to do the same. Those interested in taking action can find more information on our Web site at {M7www.wyomingwildlife.org.

David Gowdey is executive director of the Wyoming Wildlife Federation. He lives in Cheyenne.