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Today: August 12, 2004 at 10:47:45 PDT
ELKO, Nev. (AP) - John Kerry's proposal to increase mineral royalties to raise money for national parks has drawn strong opposition from officials and mining interests in Nevada, which produces 81 percent of the nation's gold.
"John Kerry's proposal to levy taxes and fees on our mining industries will turn thriving Nevada mining towns into ghost towns," Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said in a statement.
Kerry has proposed an 8 percent royalty fee on precious metals dug from federal land, while doubling the claim fee to $200 and eliminating land patents.
Kerry said in a statement released by his campaign that reforms of the 1872 mining law would raise an additional $600 million a year for national parks, the Elko Daily Free Press reported.
"Together, we're going to do better and build a stronger America by preserving our national parks," Kerry said in the statement.
Kerry's proposal on the campaign Web site states that annual shortfalls of more than $600 million have "resulted in rampant understaffing and site closures" in the national parks system, the Free Press reported on Wednesday.
But Jack Gerard, president of the National Mining Association, said the Kerry plan would cost between 18,000 and 44,000 jobs "and result in a net loss to the federal treasury of $400 million to $500 million based on an independent analysis."
"Sen. Kerry obviously has not done his math. He would destroy the highest paying jobs in Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico ... to pay for entry-level service industry jobs and devastate mining communities throughout the West in the bargain," he said in a statement.
Nevada mines employ more than 10,000 people at salaries averaging more than $60,000, according to the Nevada Mining Association.
"John Kerry wants to pay for his many expensive proposals on the backs of our miners and rural residents, but he needs to reassess his promises if he thinks destroying Nevada jobs is the ticket to the White House," Ensign said.
Two of the largest mining companies in the world - No. 1 Newmont Mining Corp. and No. 3 Barrick Gold Corp. operate on the Carlin trend northeast of Elko. Nevada's 2003 gold production of 7.3 million ounces ranked it third behind the countries of South Africa and Australia.
The mining industry opposes a royalty on gross proceeds from mining, but has been willing in the past to accept a royalty of up to 5 percent on net proceeds, which was expected to be used for reclamation of abandoned mines.
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On the Net: National Mining Association: http://www.nma.org
Kerry campaign: http://www.johnkerry.com
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Today: August 12, 2004 at 11:37:44 PDT
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Several hundred protesters demonstrated Thursday outside a southern Nevada carpenters' union hall where President Bush spoke about jobs, the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository and the war on terror.
Chanting "No More Bush" and "Bush Lied," some in the crowd said they were upset about Bush administration union policies and the president's support for a planned national nuclear waste dump at Yucca Mountain, 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Some criticized the symbolism of his appearance at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners training center, in an industrial park near McCarran International Airport.
"He's totally against organizing," said Patrick Rush, 49, of Las Vegas, an organizer for the State of Nevada Employees Association and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
Rush said he wanted to tell Bush that Nevada residents don't want nuclear waste, and said it didn't matter if Bush addressed the Yucca Mountain issue during his speech.
"He goes against his promises all the time," Rush said.
The union official's comments echoed those of Democratic rival John Kerry during speeches he gave Tuesday and Wednesday in the Las Vegas area.
Kerry said Bush broke a promise from his 2000 campaign to ensure science, not politics, would decide whether Yucca Mountain would become the nation's nuclear waste repository. When Bush and Congress approved the site in 2002, many scientific studies remained unfinished.
The Bush campaign has accused Kerry of switching sides on the Yucca issue - pointing to the Massachusetts senator's votes for some measures affecting Yucca Mountain measures. In simple yes-or-no votes, however, Kerry has voted against the project.
"I listened to the people that know the facts and know the science and I made a decision," Bush said. "My opponent wants to turn the issue into a political poker chip."
The protesters were kept well away from the union training center that Bush said illustrated successful worker training policies.
"We're interested in finding things that work and heralding them," the president said to applause from an invited audience. "There are a lot of people willing to work, but the nature of jobs is changing. They need help and education to fulfill the new jobs of the 21st Century."
Las Vegas police said the 250 to 300 demonstrators remained peaceful under the watchful eye of about 60 officers. Some in the crowd were overcome by heat, but no serious injuries were reported.
The protest was organized by the Democratic party in Nevada, and included some union members upset about Bush administration policies on overtime for workers and union practices.
"I want to support getting Bush out of the White House. He has done more harm in four years than anybody else in history," said protester Julia Winkler, 44, an elementary school teacher from Las Vegas.
Her husband, David Winkler, 57, also a teacher, blamed Bush for the USA Patriot Act.
"He is infringing on our rights under a supposed banner of freedom," he said.
After the speech, the president was scheduled to fly to Santa Monica, Calif., for a Republican party fundraiser.
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