Re: Full House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Titled “Unleashing America's Energy and Mineral Potential”

A coalition of environmental and tribal organizations argues that current U.S. mining laws are deficient and have led to widespread pollution, specifically citing the legacy of uranium mining in the Navajo Nation. The authors advocate for transitioning to a leasing system for hardrock minerals, as proposed in the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act of 2022, and the utilization of funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to improve environmental reviews and tribal consultations.

• The authors propose replacing the current system of staking claims prior to mineral discovery with a leasing system for hardrock minerals, similar to the oil and gas model, to increase certainty and social acceptability in the permitting process.
• Existing mining laws have resulted in significant environmental damage, with the EPA estimating that abandoned mines have polluted 40% of headwaters in western U.S. watersheds, with cleanup costs exceeding $50 billion for taxpayers.
• Uranium mining in the Navajo Nation during the 1950s and 1960s left a legacy of over 500 unremediated mines, contributing to radiation exposure and water contamination; specifically, in Sanders, Arizona, the state failed to notify residents of uranium contamination in their water supply from 2003 until after 2016.
• The coalition highlights federal investments intended to improve permitting, including $1 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for environmental reviews and $5 million from the Permitting Council for consultations with federally recognized tribes.

APA

Earthjustice (2023). Re: Full House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Titled “Unleashing America's Energy and Mineral Potential”. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2-8-23_natural_resources_hearing_views.pdf

Chicago

Earthjustice. Re: Full House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Titled “Unleashing America's Energy and Mineral Potential”. 2023. https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2-8-23_natural_resources_hearing_views.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=Re: Full House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Titled “Unleashing America's Energy and Mineral Potential” |date=7 February 2023 |url=https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2-8-23_natural_resources_hearing_views.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2023full, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{Re: Full House Natural Resources Committee Hearing Titled “Unleashing America's Energy and Mineral Potential”}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2-8-23_natural_resources_hearing_views.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }