It’s Time to Update our Mining Laws for a Clean Energy Future

Earthjustice calls for the modernization of the 150-year-old Mining Law of 1872, asserting that current regulations allow mining companies to pollute public lands without accountability or fair compensation to taxpayers. The organization advocates for the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act and the Biden administration's Interagency Working Group to establish standards that prioritize tribal consultation, environmental protections, and the reclamation of abandoned mines to support a clean energy transition.

• Demand for critical minerals, such as lithium and cobalt used in batteries for electric vehicles and clean energy storage, is projected to increase by up to 500% by 2050 to support electronics and clean energy technologies.
• The Mining Law of 1872, which governs over 350 million acres of public lands, is criticized for prioritizing mining over other land uses, failing to require strong environmental protections or tribal consultation, and allowing companies to avoid paying royalties to taxpayers.
• Earthjustice proposes five key areas for mining reform: protecting iconic landscapes and Indigenous sacred sites, implementing industry-specific environmental standards, ensuring fair taxpayer compensation, increasing inspections and enforcement, and creating a dedicated fund to reclaim over 500,000 abandoned mines.
• Legislative and executive efforts to address these issues include the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act introduced by Rep. Raul M. Grijalva and Senator Martin Heinrich, as well as an Interagency Working Group established by the Biden administration to reform federal mining regulations.

APA

Earthjustice (2022). It’s Time to Update our Mining Laws for a Clean Energy Future. https://earthjustice.org/article/critical-minerals-mining-reform

Chicago

Earthjustice. It’s Time to Update our Mining Laws for a Clean Energy Future. 2022. https://earthjustice.org/article/critical-minerals-mining-reform.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Earthjustice |title=It’s Time to Update our Mining Laws for a Clean Energy Future |date=11 May 2022 |url=https://earthjustice.org/article/critical-minerals-mining-reform |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{earthjustice2022its, author = {{Earthjustice}}, title = {{It’s Time to Update our Mining Laws for a Clean Energy Future}}, publisher = {Earthjustice}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://earthjustice.org/article/critical-minerals-mining-reform}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }