Today (Friday, May 2nd) Senate Bill 228 passed the House 3rd Reading and Final Passage by a 59 to 5 vote. SB 228, which is sponsored by Sen. Schwartz (District 5) and Sen. Curry (District 61), would insure that property owners know when exploration for minerals is planned in their immediate area. Coloradoans Against Resource Destruction (CARD) supports SB 228. The bill was passed by the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee on April 24, 2008 by a 5-2 vote and referred to the Committee of the Whole where it passed in the 3rd reading on April 28th.

Currently, people across northern Weld County – and the state – have no way of knowing if or when a company wants to drill for uranium or other minerals in their immediate area. This secrecy goes back to the fear of claim jumping in the 1800s. "In today’s world, this secrecy is ridiculous," says CARD spokesperson Jackie Adolph. "People don’t jump claims anymore. They go get leases and they sign agreements that give them the legal right to minerals before they ever start drilling."

This Bill would prevent landowners from being blindsided by mining companies, while protecting companies’ proprietary information. Colorado is the only western state that keeps the drilling and exploration phase of mining a secret from the people who could be directly affected by that drilling and exploration.

Click here to see a copy of the bill (in pdf format).

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