U.S. Department of the Interior
Office of the Secretary

Stephanie Hanna


For Release: August 12, 1996

President Clinton's announcement today that the New World Mine, just outside Yellowstone National Park, will not be developed, should bring a great sense of relief to every American who cares about our oldest and most beloved national park. The United States and Crown Butte Mining Company have reached an agreement to suspend plans for mining at the New World site effective immediately.

This agreement will begin the final chapter to close off a great environmental threat, not only toYellowstone, but to wilderness, a Wild and Scenic River, to threatened and endangered wildlife, watersheds and groundwater. There are many places where mining is suitable; but not in fragile landscapes of such great natural beauty.

The Department of the Interior has a lot at stake in the area. We are responsible for the unique landscape and wildlife resources of Yellowstone National Park, as well as for the migratory birds and threatened and endangered species whose habitat would have been harmed by the New World Mine. The Department has worked hard to assure that these threats will be eliminated. The best solution is the no mining solution, and we will follow up President Clinton's announcement by pressing forward to complete the land withdrawals that are necessary to protect the area from any future mining proposals.

The New World Mine was proposed in an area already heavily contaminated by past mining activities. Hazardous substances such as mercury, arsenic, lead, zinc, sulfides, barium and cadmium have been released into creeks, wetlands, groundwater and downstream areas for more than a century. Under the agreement, Crown Butte has pledged to clean up much of the contamination from historic mining activities on its lands. Funding will also be made available to restore or acquire equivalent natural resources injured by releases of contaminants from the site. The Department of the Interior is trustee for many of these resources.

Part of the legal underpinning for the New World Mine proposal was the 1872 Mining Law. This antiquated legal relic from the days of Ulysses S. Grant gives away public lands for about $5 per acre with little protection for the environment. The New World Mine proposal emphasizes the need for Congress to reform this antiquated law to ensure that precious environmental and scenic resources, and the wildlife that inhabit them, receive the protection they deserve. Today's agreement will stand as a lasting tribute to the Clinton Administration, and the skilled negotiators from the White House and numerous federal agencies who worked thousands of hours to find a way to protect the sensitive and beautiful landscape in and around Yellowstone National Park from mining operations at the New World Mine.

-DOI-