Kudos to Tom Darin

An article by Tom Darin, director of WOC's Public Lands and Resources Program, appears in the latest issue of the University of Wyoming College of Law's Land and Water Law Review (Volume 35, No. 2).

In his article, "The Bureau of Land Management's Proposed Surface Management Regulations for Locatable Mineral Operations: Preventing or Allowing Degradation of Public Lands?", Tom argues that the BLM has not gone far enough in its proposed rulemaking to protect the environment from the hazards associated with hard-rock mining.

"While the BLM should be applauded for its proactive steps to provide additional environmental safeguards-especially given the failure of Congress to pass any reform legislation-it did not go far enough," writes Darin. "Most of hard-rock mining on public lands involves less than five acres, and the BLM still will not require a plan of operations for this level of mining, thus leaving the public out of key areas of comment including reclamation bond requirements."

Darin notes that the agency's other shortcomings include "exceptions to reclamation requirements when 'economically unfeasible'-thereby putting a company's profit margin into play when considering reclamation of disturbed lands, and not requiring mandatory enforcement provisions."

The BLM is in the process of printing and distributing its final Environmental Impact Statement on the proposed regulations and expects to issue a final rulemaking later this fall