The other, from U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, is an attack on a government agency that was sent in to make a terrible situation better, and in the process has become a whipping boy for politicians like U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton, R-Cortez, and Gardner. Both are of a party easily recognized by its antipathy to anything speaking of the common good, such as cleaning up a mess left by unregulated private enterprise. You may remember that after the Summitville disaster, Tipton voted against a modest royalty on mining, to be used for cleaning up future disasters.

Sen. Gardner should do something for his country for a change. Since 1872, the General Mining Act has allowed private enterprise to walk away from its messes, leaving them for the public to try to clean up. How about a rewrite of this outdated law?

Christopher Isensee

Durango