Obama administration blocks mining on 100,000 acres in Southern Oregon [View all]
A long-running effort to block mining in the watersheds of several iconic rivers in southwest Oregon scored a major victory Thursday.
A 20-year ban on new mining projects across 100,000 acres of the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains was signed by the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.
The withdrawal has been pushed for years by environmentalists, politicians and local cities worried about nickel mining fouling water that drains into streams such as the North Fork Smith River and Rough and Ready Creek.
The action was one in a flurry of moves by the Obama administration to enact environmental protections before leaving office. It's separate from the 48,000 acres added to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, also on Thursday.
Read more: http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2017/01/12/obama-administration-blocks-mining-100000-acres-southern-oregon/96518872/
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