Washington, Will You Be Mine?

"The mining industry is confronted with a very challenging environment," said Kraig Naasz, the new head of the U.S. industry lobby group National Mining Association (NMA). In response to high-profile mining disasters, increased rates of black lung disease, and concerns about climate change, among other issues, the NMA will likely "dramatically increase its lobbying and advertising budget." Its overall budget will increase from $15.6 million for 2007 to $19.7 million for 2008. NMA's two political action committees, CoalPAC and MinePAC, "are moving towards a more even split" between the two major parties, after years of giving nearly 90 percent of its PAC money to Republicans. NMA is also "looking to add a Democratic consultant to its list of outside lobbyists," which includes the Alpine Group and the Nickles Group. NMA is also hiring four more in-house lobbyists and "two additional regulatory experts." Among other bills, NMA opposes the Miller-Rahall bill, which would strengthen safety regulations and "apply royalty fees to hard rock-mining operations" on federal lands.