U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman is pushing for mining law reform that would implement royalties on mining profits and charge fees to help pay for mine cleanup. The existing law has been largely unchanged since the presidency of Ulysses S. Grant.

An Associated Press story from earlier this week reports that support is building for reforming the 1872 Mining Law:

Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the New Mexico Democrat who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is shepherding the broadest plan, which calls for an adjusted 2 percent to 5 percent royalty after transportation and processing costs are taken out. It also gives the Interior Department more discretion on environmental matters and calls for the money raised under the bill to be used for reclaiming abandoned mine lands.

A separate Associated Press story reports that “aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid say the Nevada Democrat remains committed to ensuring any changes in the 1872 Mining Law is balanced and protects mining jobs in rural communities.”

In recent years, supporters of reforming the law have used tactics such as a Grant impersonator who called for change. This, supporters of reform hope, highlights the time since the law was created and the changes the United States has undergone since the post-Civil War era. That effort was spearheaded by the Pew Campaign for Responsible Mining.