U.S. miners await outcome of congressional musical chairmanships

The good news for U.S. hardrock miners is that the son of a hardrock miner, Harry Reid, the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, was re-elected by his fellow Nevadans. The bad news for U.S. coal miners is that Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nevada, was re-elected to the U.S. Senate and should retain his post as majority leader of the U.S. Senate, as well as his disdain for coal-fired power plants. More bad news for U.S. mining, however, as President Barack Obama still controls the executive branch, including all federal agencies which regulate domestic mining. Mountaintop mining will remain a hot button issue for the administration, as will the EPA's insistence on regulatory supremacy in permitting of Clean Water Act permits pertaining to mining. Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski's write-in re-election bid remains a hot race that may take weeks to decide. However, if pro-hardrock mining Murkowski retains her Senate seat, she may also remain the ranking minority member on the Senate Natural Resources Committee. To the delight of gold miners and the consternation of coal miners, Rep. Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia, is no longer the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. The presumptive chairman of Resources is Rep. Doc Hastings of Washington State...more