Mining Provision Dropped

The odious mining provision that was surreptitiously tucked into the budget bill has died a quiet but much-deserved death. The AP reports that the rule, which provoked outrage among hunters, anglers, environmentalists and basically everyone else who cares about public lands, faced strong bipartisan opposition in Congress. Critics had feared the rule would have allowed mining companies to convert mineral claims on public lands, including national parks, to condominiums or even landfills. Republican Senator Conrad Burns of Montana spoke for many when he said the idea was "crazy." For his part, Death Valley National Park superintendent J.T. Reynolds welcomed the news of its demise as a "welcome stay of execution."