Jim Starr to testify on the 1872 Mining Law

Going to Washington

Gunnison County commissioner Jim Starr is going to Washington.
He has been asked to appear before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday, February 26 at 10 a.m. EST to comment on ways the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Mining Act of 1872 affects the Gunnison Valley and other communities like it.

He has been asked to appear before the House Subcommittee on Energy and Natural Resources on Thursday, February 26 at 10 a.m. EST to comment on ways the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Mining Act of 1872 affects the Gunnison Valley and other communities like it.
Starr was asked Thursday, February 19 by the office of congressman John Salazar to join the discussion because of the experience Starr has had with mining issues during his time living in Crested Butte. Although Starr testified before the state legislature in the past, it is his first time testifying on Capitol Hill.
Salazar’s staff, says Starr, “knew the congressional hearing was coming up and they knew we were concerned about reforming the mining law and that we had sent a letter supporting the reform the last time around.”
Local officials first went to testify on mining reform when Crested Butte town manager Susan Parker and town attorney John Belkin traveled to Washington, D.C. in September 2007. There they met with Congressional representatives and were asked to return, with Crested Butte mayor Alan Bernholtz, in January 2008 to testify before a committee oversight hearing.
The hearing this week will be an extension of that discussion. Starr says, like Bernholtz, Belkin and Parker, he will be focusing on the impacts a major mine, like the Mt. Emmons Project, could have on the watershed and the people who rely on it.
“I think I’ll be asked about some of the comments that were made in our letter. They’ve come up with a few new ideas, I think, but I’ll talk about the protection of watersheds, generally,” Starr says, adding that he believes he will be testifying alone.
The mining law still allows federal land to be leased for mineral extraction for $5 an acre and Congress has tried to reform the law several times in the past. Twelve years ago, both the House and the Senate passed reform bills, but the legislative session ended before the two chambers could reach an agreement.
During his time in Washington, Starr hopes to meet with members of Colorado’s congressional delegation before returning on Friday.