Dear HCN,
The recent cover article
in HCN suggested that Sen. Harry Reid was the best Western
environmental senator (HCN, 9/28/98). While he is far superior to
many of his colleagues, the article failed to mention many of his
shortcomings. For example, Sen. Reid is co-sponsor of legislation
that would transfer thousands of acres of land to Clark County (Las
Vegas) for a new regional cargo airport at dirt-cheap prices. The
airport would vastly increase the low-level overflights on
surrounding wilderness and park areas.
He also
worked with Sen. Kempthorne of Idaho on legislation to reauthorize
the Endangered Species Act. This legislation relied heavily on
habitat conservation plans and “no surprises.”
But the worst aspect of his environmental record
pertains to mining. Sen. Reid singlehandedly has blocked reform of
the General Mining Law of 1872, which establishes mining as the
premier use of public lands. He even authored a rider this session
which prohibits the BLM from reforming its mining regulations. The
bulk of these regulations were written in the early 1980s, before
cyanide heap-leach operations became prevalent.
Tom
Myers
Reno,
Nevada
Tom Myers is a board
member of Great Basin Mine Watch and on the steering committee of
the Western Mining Activists
Network.
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline The flaws of Harry Reid.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
