At the center of Trout Unlimited’s  work on responsible hardrock  mining is a commitment to avoide  the mistakes of the past. To this end, Trout Unlimited  approaches  new mines on a case-by-case basis. Trout Unlimited staffers  work directly with mining companies, as well as state and federal permitting agencies, to apply policy and practices to mitigate the impacts of new mines on cold water  fisheries. In the case of a wrong mine in the wrong place, location is everything and when the threat of groundwater depletion, acid-mine drainage and potential for spills cannot be responsibly mitigated, the only responsible mine is no mine at all.

Hardrock mining played an essential role in shaping the national character of the United States and it served as a catalyst for western expansion. Today, some critical minerals like lithium and cobalt are essential for renewable energy technologies that can help address climate change and associated impacts on fish and wildlife. Where mining can be done responsibly, industry ha s the ability to build safer mines with more regard for the surrounding environment and social impacts. Trout Unlimited recently distributed Critical Minerals Report: A Conservation Perspective. This piece educates anglers and hunters on the growing demand for critical minerals and provides tenets for their responsible development.

Mining of the past, however, has come with a price. Approximately 110,000 miles of streams— enough to circle the Earth four times— are listed as impaired for heavy metals or acidity. Abandoned mines are a major source of these impairments. To address this vexing problem, Trout Unlimited is working to pass Good Samaritan legislation that would remove legal barriers for third parties to clean up discharge from leaking abandoned mines. This would create new opportunities for Trout Unlimited to expand upon our mine remediation work and double down on efforts to fix the mistakes of the past while charting a responsible path for the future.  

In Washington, hobby mining is regulated

In an incredible win in early 2020, Washington residents achieved water quality improvements and greater protections for critical wild fish populations from effects of hobby suction dredge mining in spring after a years-long effort led by Trout Unlimited in partnership with conservation groups and tribes. The groups worked tirelessly to pass legislation that bans suction dredge mining in thousands of miles of critical habitat designated under the Endangered Species Act (Endangered Species Act) for threatened or endangered salmon, steelhead, and bull trout.

This victory is thanks to Trout Unlimited volunteers, supporters and staff tirelessly speaking up time and again. Together, Washington residents sent messages backed in science calling for safeguards for Washington’s enormous salmon and orca recovery investments, and emphasized the importance of clean water and intact aquatic habitat. With such perseverance, lawmakers in Olympia listened – the bill garnered broad, bi-partisan support and was signed by Governor Inslee in March 2020.