 Many laws affect the mining industry, but only because they are written to affect all industries and activities. Prime examples are the federal clean air and water acts. Neither was expressly intended to regulate the mining industry, but both affect the industry through permitting processes.. From 1910 to 1996, the United States Bureau of Mines would have answered most of the public’s questions about mining and the mining industry, but even then the Bureau of Mines did not “control or regulate mining.” Its staff was charged with knowing “where and who to call.” Since the closure of that Bureau, there is no central point for mining and mining industry information and most certainly no single manger of all mining for the federal government. If after looking at the previous listing of rules which are based on mineral laws that directly affect either all minerals or minerals on federal lands, you still don’t find what you are looking for, it helps to ask “What federal government agency regulates (blank) as it relates to mining?” Issues will tend to form several themes; Mining Operations, Mining Companies, Mining Industry, Mineral Rights, Mineral Resources, Mineral Commodities. Within each of these themes are multiple subjects.
Somewhere in the federal government there is likely to be found an agency with a mission that covers some aspect of these themes and eventually will address the subjects within the themes – so far the Mining Caucus has identified at least 23 agencies, spread over several departments with missions that impact the larger themes as related to mining. The following table will help you in your search. The following table gives an overview of which federal agency or agencies have a role in regulating the US mining industry. The Table is far from complete and only provides links to the main website of each agency. The individual offices within each agency are not listed and will require some digging to find the proper place to ask questions. | |
