This past Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 244-166 to approve the "Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act." Frank Wolf and 162 fellow Republicans votes "nay" as well. Here is what the bill would do:The bill would protect U.S. lands from the damages of mining by restricting new operations or forcing mines to clean up after themselves. In addition, it would give taxpayers a better return on their property by making mining companies pay royalties on the metals they harvest.
In addition, "The bill would...establish standards to mitigate environmental damages, create a cleanup fund for abandoned mines and ban the cheap sale of public lands for mining."
Sounds pretty reasonable, huh? Pretty pro-environment? So why would the "moderate" Frank Wolf oppose this legislation? Are there major mining interests we didn't know about in McLean, Manassas, Chantilly, Sterling and Winchester? Or is Frank Rudolph Wolf simply an another anti-environment Republican in "moderate" clothing?
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