Strong Support in NM's 2nd Congressional District for Reforming 1872 Mining Act

In a poll conducted from May 31 thru June 9, 2009 by Harstad Strategic Research for the New West Project, 67% of voters in New Mexico’s Second Congressional District reportedly favored modernizing the 1872 Mining Act. Click for the key findings (pdf) of the survey.

Mining reform has been a hot topic in New Mexico since Senator Jeff Bingaman introduced the Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act (S.796) in April, with Sen. Tom Udall as a co-sponsor. According to the poll results, a majority of New Mexicans believe that mining companies should now pay their fair-share for clean-up of the land and water pollution created from their activities.

“Currently, taxpayers have to shoulder the burden of protecting our communities from the danger of abandoned mines,” NM House Majority Leader Ken Martinez said in the press release about the survey. “Senator Bingaman understands that our economic and environmental interests don’t have to be mutually exclusive. This bill strikes a careful balance between protecting a vital part of New Mexico’s economy and ensuring that New Mexicans no longer pay for all the clean-up expenses.”

"We're looking for smart, sensible stewardship of our public lands and we can't have that until the 1872 Mining Law is updated," said John Cornell, campaign coordinator with the New Mexico Wildlife Federation. "We need to be able to balance mining with other uses of the land, and make sure our water supplies are protected."

Discussions about reforming our mining laws center focus on:

• Allowing the mining companies to lease the land they are mining instead of buying it from the federal government for prices as low as $2.50 per acre;
• Requiring mining companies to pay royalty fees, similar to fees paid by coal, oil and gas companies, that are based on the value of the minerals extracted from the land. Currently mining companies, even foreign-owned companies, get publicly owned minerals for free;
• Giving state and local governments a say in where mines are located in order to protect tourism revenue, water supplies or other concerns. Currently mining activity is granted automatic priority over all other uses of public land;
• Strengthening the air and water pollution standards, and hold mining companies responsible for clean-up of any damage they cause to the land and water.

In the recent NM-02 poll, reforming the 1872 Mining Act received overwhelming support from cross-sections throughout the District -- Democrats and Republicans, women and men, Hispanics and Anglos, and across all age groups:

Results

Democrat	Republican	Independent
71%	61%	65%
Women	Men
69%	61%
White	Hispanic
71%	63%
18-44 Yrs	45-59 Yrs	60 Yrs +
68%	71%	64%

The June 2009 New Mexico Mining Law Survey was conducted by Harstad Strategic Research, Inc., a national public opinion research firm in Boulder, Colorado. The results of this survey are based upon 409 random telephone interviews in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District. A random sample of 409 voters has a worst-case 95% confidence interval of plus or minus 4.8% about any one reported percentage.