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Mining moratorium protects native fish – for now
Risks to the Boundary Waters from mineral extraction are unacceptable In 1969, prominent conservationist Sigurd Olson of Ely, Minn., wrote this about proposed mineral exploration in the Boundary Waters area: “The world needs metals and men need work, but they also must have wilderness and beauty, and in the years to come will need it…
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Time to modernize a relic of westward expansion
To clean up the West’s abandoned mines, we need funding and liability protections for Good Samaritans who want to do the work This month marks the 150-year anniversary of the 1872 Mining Law, a relic of westward expansion and Manifest Destiny. Under the law, which governs hardrock mining on public lands, the federal government gave…
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Trout and the infrastructure bill: A Rio Grande case study
For two decades Trout Unlimited has worked to protect and restore one of the most unique trout sub-species in North America — the Rio Grande cutthroat — by engaging numerous partners in protecting, reconnecting and restoring coldwater habitats in the Rio Grande basin. In this semi-arid landscape, it has always been a challenge to stretch the basin’s water to…
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Congress needs to act on public lands oil and gas reform
Last week the Department of the Interior released a long-awaited report on the Federal oil and gas leasing system (TU statement). The report details shortcomings of the antiquated oil and gas program and recommends policy options to better balance energy development with other uses on public lands, such as hunting and fishing. The Roan Plateau in western Colorado. Trout Unlimited has spent more than a decade advocating for responsible oil and…
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Red Rock Lakes shows off its fish and wildlife conservation values
Sometimes I wonder if it wouldn’t be easier if all public lands were just lumped together. I mean, who can keep straight national forests, wildlife refuges, national parks, national preserves, national monuments, national lakeshores, BLM lands—it can all be a bit much to keep track of! But then you experience a place like Red Rock…
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House takes steps to modernize oil and gas leasing
America's public lands are meant for multiple uses: fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, general outdoor recreation, and of course, industry—where it makes sense. But for too long, oil and gas leasing and drilling on public lands throughout the nation have enjoyed priority status. It is past time to grant all uses equal footing — and there…
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TU urges Congress to pass Good Samaritan legislation
These mines not only pose physical and public health hazards, but tens of thousands of them are polluting the environment
New law would enable groups like TU to clean up abandoned mines without assuming liability for their pollution Lauren Duncan, a Colorado-based mine reclamation specialist for Trout Unlimited, testified Tuesday before the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Energy and Minerals Resources. The oversight hearing, titled “The Toxic Legacy of the Mining Law of 1872,” evaluated mining-related…
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