this reminds me of that commercial for tourism in New York where the guys dressed up as rabid football fans are in an art museum chanting, "ART...ART...ART...ART!!!"
Sorry slick, but coal mining and mineral mining (as in gold, silver, copper etc) are different. While coal and oil operations pay royalties, mineral mining operations do not. "Under the 1872 Mining Law, mining companies extract minerals from publicly owned lands without paying royalties to the federal government. This policy differs from federal policy toward the coal, oil and gas industries, all of which must pay royalties for extracting minerals from public lands. In 2000, mining corporations extracted almost $1 billion worth of minerals from public lands without any royalty payment to taxpayers. Adding insult to injury, the 130-year-old law also allows a mining company to patent, or buy, mineral-rich public land for $5 an acre or less, paying 1872 prices for land worth billions of dollars. The archaic 1872 Mining Law not only distorts the minerals market, it promotes environmental destruction of public lands because it includes no provisions for environmental protection and elevates mining as the best use of the land, regardless of other potential uses. " Guess you don't know as much as you thought? I said restoration from acid rain, which has nothing to do with the mining points. Not yet. Keep trying.
Very nice attempt at distorting the argument to fit your data. You initially said *other mining companies* when referencing your financial data. Coal is mined. Coal is a mineral. My information stands. Part of your information was correct, with regard to precious metals. This is not my area of expertise. I, unlike you, am willing to admit that. min·er·al Pronunciation Key (mnr-l) n. A naturally occurring, homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness. Any of various natural substances, as: An element, such as gold or silver. An organic derivative, such as coal or petroleum. A substance, such as stone, sand, salt, or coal, that is extracted or obtained from the ground or water and used in economic activities. No, *actually* you said Which has *everything* to do with mining points. Nice try, amateur
This is the original passage from my first post, which clearly delineates gold and silver vs coal and oil. You merely asserted you had personal expertise that would 'correct the errors' in my post. Sorry if you didn't READ my post and incorrectly assumed the argument was about oil and coal. "Mining - Every year, gold, silver and other mining companies (many of them foreign-owned) extract an estimated $3.6 billion of minerals from public lands while paying nothing to the federal treasury. Under the archaic Mining Law of 1872, mining companies can purchase these lands for $2.50 or $5.00 per acre. Last year, the Interior Secretary sold public land containing $10 billion worth of gold for less than $6,000. Adding insult to injury, taxpayers are often left footing the bill for expensive cleanup of the cyanide, arsenic and other wastes left behind." Your information 'stands?' As Derrick Coleman once said "whoop-dee-damn-doo!" Your information is IRRELEVANT to the original change I proposed. It begs the question of whether the mining guidelines cited in my original post should be changed. Congratulations. You have won a point that is completely worthless to this discussion. Ah, I thought you meant 'reclamation' instead of 'restoration.' If you look at my post, the passage you responded to says 'cleanup cost of mining, restoration from acid rain...' Not sure why you would add the 'word you are looking for' bit. Saying 'cleanup' is just as proper as 'reclamation.' Unless you wanted to make yourself sound smart, in which case you have made yourself sound stupid, since you are not talking about the issue I originally proposed changing. Regardless, you are wrong. It may be true that coal and oil extraction cleanup costs are paid by the permit holder, but it is NOT true of the mining operations I cited in the original post. Hmmmm, I make a point. You respond with analysis that is completely nonresponsive, and I'm an amateur? Try to comprehend what you are denying before you post, quickdraw, instead of being in such a Rush (haha) to tell us all how much of an expert you are on the subject.
