21世纪的矿业法改革

Filling the Voids: Mining Law Reform in the 21^(st) Century

目前,矿业法已无法满足政府、工业界和民间社会的期望,需加以改革和重新定义。当前矿业法的立法目标过于狭隘,只围绕采矿许可证制度设立了一套过时的监管目标,未将公众对"可持续性"和"社会经营许可"的新期望纳入立法目标。人们已无法再接受采矿仍作为以采掘、耗竭为导向的产业,而是希望其承载环境、社会管理及社区发展期望,以满足不同利益攸关方的长期发展。据估计,仅美国就有约50万座废弃矿山,矿业法仅将重点放在采掘活动,而对复垦或矿山闭坑后的土地利用考虑不足,这反映出矿业法的无效性和管理的不均衡性。矿业法改革需要承认矿业活动特性及其内在期望,平衡开采与发展、经济回报与环境保护、当前与未来以及利益攸关方的关系。重新定义矿业法必须采取新的综合解决办法,将矿业权与更明确的社会和环境责任结合起来,以更好应对矿业对人类福祉的长期影响,减缓矿业的负面影响,为所有利益攸关方提供可持续的利益。

This paper argues that Mining Law comprises a domain of law that fails to meet current expectations of governments, industry and civil society and requires reform and reconceptualization. This domain currently incorporates an anachronistic set of regulatory objectives around narrow licensing regimes that authorize extraction of minerals but fails to include new expectations of ＂sustainability＂ and ＂social license to operate＂ . Mining is no longer accepted to operate as an extractive, depletion-oriented industry, but is expected to deliver management of environmental, social and community development expectations to satisfy long term outcomes for diverse stakeholders. The legacy of abandoned mines, estimated at approximately 500,000 in the United States alone, reflects a legacy of ineffective, unbalanced Mining Law regulation, focused on extractive activity with insufficient regard for rehabilitation or post mine life land use. Reforming Mining Law requires a recognition of the activities and expectations inherent in the industry, balancing extraction with development, economic return with environmental protection, and current with future stakeholders. Reconceptualizing Mining Law must involve new integrated solutions that combine the granting of mineral rights with more explicit social and environmental responsibilities to address the long term transformational impact of an essential industry to human wellbeing while reversing a legacy of operational harm to provide sustainable benefits to all stakeholders.