Take a hammer to the 1872 Mining Act
“The 137-year-old law is a legacy of a bygone era in the West”
Folks have been trying to change this law my entire life and long before that. Will this be the year? If so, how much can it be changed?
The Oregonian thinks change is now politically possible. The 1872 Act has long been regarded as one of the best examples of the dead hand of the past still governing Western public lands politics.
“Take a hammer to the 1872 Mining Act.” The Editorial Board of the Oregonian.

Ralph Maughan
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University with specialties in natural resource politics, public opinion, interest groups, political parties, voting and elections. Aside from academic publications, he is author or co-author of three hiking/backpacking guides, and he is past President of the Western Watersheds Project.
2 Responses to Take a hammer to the 1872 Mining Act
Subscribe to Blog via Email
Recent Posts
- Centennial Range Safe from Domestic Sheep For Now April 20, 2021
- Groups Sue To Eliminate Elk Feedgrounds in Wyoming April 16, 2021
- Bozeman Watershed Project Based on Flawed Assumptions April 7, 2021
- Livestock Influence On Soil Carbon Storage April 6, 2021
- Mexican wolf depredation investigations …. again April 5, 2021
Recent Comments
- Ed Loosli on Targeted Livestock Grazing Won’t Preclude Large Wildfires
- Megan on Targeted Livestock Grazing Won’t Preclude Large Wildfires
- Nancy on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ida Lupine on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ed Loosli on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Louise on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ed Loosli on Livestock industry’s campaign to get rid of wild horses is a scam to cheat the taxpayers
- Craig C Downer on Livestock industry’s campaign to get rid of wild horses is a scam to cheat the taxpayers
- Maggie Frazier on Mexican wolf depredation investigations …. again
- Ida Lupine on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ida Lupine on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ida Lupine on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ed Loosli on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Ida Lupine on Reader generated wildlife news.
- Yvette on Reader generated wildlife news.
Always an awful law that makes hard rock mining the number one priority on public lands, this law has become especially obnoxious lately with thousands of claims filed around Grand Canyon National Park and other important public lands. This has been coupled with a BLM willing to actually buck Congress on how to treat these mining claims.
The gold mines of Nevada keep increasing in number too, and they are poisoning the waters of Idaho, southern Oregon, and Utah.
As longs as Harry Reid is in charge of the Senate I doubt we’ll see any reform to the 1872 Mining Act