243 



Section 5 - Withdrawal of Ski Areas from Operation of Mining Laws 



I would now like to address the proposed section 5 that would 

 withdraw ski areas from operation of mining laws. We recognize 

 that mining activities can have a negative impact on the operation 

 of ski areas. In many cases, the potential value of the mining 

 operations may not warrant the disruption they would cause to the 

 ski area. However, a better approach would be to segregate the 

 NFS lands currently under permit for a period of 2 years during 

 which time the lands can be evaluated in accordance with the 

 provisions of section 204 of the Federal Land Policy and 

 Management Act of 1976 before withdrawing any lands from 

 operations of mining laws. In a limited number of cases, the 

 evaluation may disclose the presence of significant mineral 

 deposits which may call for reconsideration of the ski area 

 itself. It may also show that mineralization could be developed 

 without effect on a ski area, through underground or directional 

 drilling, for example, or that ski area boundaries could be 

 changed to accommodate mineral development . By evaluating the 

 mineral resources of each ski area before withdrawal, we can 

 better ensure that the highest benefit can be derived from NFS 

 lands. Again, we would be happy to work with the committee on 

 revised language for this section. 



This completes -my testimony— on H.R. 1527. I would like now to 

 turn to H.R. 2028. 



