September 16, 2024 - WASHINGTON – U.S. House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) has released the following statement on a new policy that requires notifying tribal governments of any new mineral exploration on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The policy aligns with recommendations from the Biden-Harris administration’s Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Mining Laws, Regulation, and Permitting, which published a report outlining its findings last year.

“With so many of the critical minerals we need for clean energy lying within 35 miles of tribal lands, tribes must have a foremost role in new mining projects,” said Ranking Member Grijalva. “Making sure tribes are notified as early as possible in the mining process is a critical step toward that goal. As we continue to push to reform our antiquated mining system, I want to thank the Biden-Harris administration for their continued commitment to honoring tribal sovereignty and helping to ensure that our transition to a clean energy future is a just one.”

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

Ranking Member Grijalva has been a longstanding champion for reforming our more than 150-year-old Mining Law of 1872, which has no environmental review or tribal consultation requirements. On May 19, 2023, he and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) introduced House and Senate versions of the Clean Energy Minerals Reform Act to modernize our antiquated mining system. Among other important provisions, that legislation requires federal agencies to conduct early and meaningful consultation with tribes prior to permitting mining activities that impact tribal communities.|
Source: U.S. House Natural Resources Committee, Democrats