MORE JOBS LOST TO BUREAUCRACY

Henry Kroll
513 Peninsula Avenue
Kenai, Alaska 9961

3/3/09

Senator Lisa Murkowski
C/O U.S. Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510

RE Protest: H. R. 699

Dear Lisa;
I usually don’t get involved in politics but given the present state of the economy this bill has to voted down!
H. R. 699 would completely wipe out all small-scale mining in the United States and Alaska. Small-scale miners do not have the time and resources to handle the fees, lawsuits and reporting requirements.
Large-scale mining would be also phased out as mining companies would be unable to deal with the unattainable requirements of these regulations, citizen lawsuits, thin profit margins, reporting requirements, and the uncertainty that comes with the federal government’s new authority to halt a mining operation when “undue degradation” is occurring or a scientific, biological, or cultural resource is discovered. Many areas that may have potential would be inaccessible.
No one in their right mind would provide funding for exploration or operations under the proposed conditions.
The most likely outcome would be that the environment would suffer as mining companies move all operations to countries with little or no regulations.
Like the current situation with oil, Americans would be forced to obtain natural resources overseas, sending money to countries that don’t like Americans and would love to control our prices.
This legislation is co-sponsored by Reps, George Miller (D-CA), Henry Waxman (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Howard Berman (D-CA) Raul Grialva (D-AZ), Rush Holt (D-N), Jim Costa (D-CA), Donna Christensen (D-VI), Pete Stark (D-CA), Dale Kildee (D-MI), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), ron Kind (D-WI), Lois Capps (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA, Mike Honda (D-CA), ohn Salazar (D-CO), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Niki Tsongas (D-MA), and Gerry Connolly (D-VA).
The legislators who have sponsored this bill should be labeled as un-American, voted out of office, and sent packing or attempting to decimate on of the few industries that has managed to stay afloat and provide an honest paycheck during these though economic times.
Thanks for your service,