MINERAL EXPLORATION AND HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OF THE COMMITTEE ON ONE HUNDRED SECOND CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON H.R. 918 HEARING HELD IN WASHINGTON, DC JUNE 18, 1991 Serial No. 102-10 PART V Printed for the use of the Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs For sale by the U.S. Government Printing Office ISBN 0-16-039603-4 COMMITTEE ON INTERIOR AND INSULAR AFFAIRS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MORRIS K. UDALL, Arizona, Chairman GEORGE MILLER, California, DON YOUNG, Alaska, Vice Chairman Ranking Republican Member ROBERT J. LAGOMARSINO, California JAMES V. HANSEN, Utah BEN BLAZ, Guam JOHN J. RHODES HII, Arizona. BEVERLY B. BYRON, Maryland ELTON GALLEGLY, California RON DE LUGO, Virgin Islands ROBERT F. SMITH, Oregon SAM GEJDENSON, Connecticut CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming PETER H. KOSTMAYER, Pennsylvania JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee RICHARD H. LEHMAN, California RICHARD T. SCHULZE, Pennsylvania JOEL HEFLEY, Colorado JOHN T. DOOLITTLE, California WAYNE ALLARD, Colorado American Samoa DANIEL P. BEARD, Staff Director RICHARD MELTZER, General Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON MINING AND NATURAL RESOURCES NICK JOE RAHALL II, West Virginia, Chairman CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming DON YOUNG, Alaska GEORGE MILLER, California Jow Zola, Staff Director EVELIN BERTORELLO, Clerle CONTENTS Opening statement of Chairman Rahall..... Hon. Barbara Vucanovich, a U.S. Representative from the State of Hon. Craig Thomas, a U.S. Representative from the State of Wyoming Cy Jamison, Director, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Depart- George M. Leonard, Associate Chief, Forest Service, U.S. Department John A. Knebel, president, American Mining Congress. David W. Delcour, president, Amax Resource Conservation Company, on behalf of the American Mining Congress, Washington, DC.. John L. Neff, secretary, Northwest Mining Association, Spokane, John H. Wright, certified professional geologist, Grand Junction, Col- Michael J. McCloskey, chairman, Sierra Club, Washington, DC ............ Lynn A. Greenwalt, vice president, National Wildlife Federation, Washington, DC, on behalf of The Wilderness Society, Washington, Philip M. Hocker, president, Mineral Policy Center, Washington, DC, on behalf of American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland. Brock Evans, vice president for national issues, National Audubon Paul C. Pritchard, president, National Parks and Conservation Asso- Gerald W. Grandey, president, Energy Fuels Nuclear, Inc., Denver, Paul K. Willmott, president, Umetco Minerals Corporation, Danbury, Dennis E. Wheeler, president and CEO, Coeur D'Alene Mines, Coeur Putnam Livermore, Public Resource Associates, San Francisco, Cali- Andy Kerr, director of conservation, Oregon Natural Resources Council, Portland, Oregon ..... Michael Medberry, public lands director, Idaho Conservation League, Louisa Willcox, program director, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, David (Kim) Wilson, Montana Environmental Information Center, Bill Martin, vice president, The Cabinet Resource Group, Trout |