258 Barack H. Obama: The Unauthorized BiographyIllinois coal mine owners clearly own a time share of Obama, and he has been shameless in
delivering on their demands:
In November 2007, Obama came out against a bill that would have reformed the notorious
Mining Law of 1872. The current statute, signed into law by Ulysses Grant, allows mining
companies to pay a nominal fee, as little as $2.50 an acre, to mine for hardrock minerals like
gold, silver, and copper without paying royalties. Yearly profits for mining hardrock on public
lands is estimated to be in excess of $1 billion a year, according to Earthworks, a group that
monitors the industry. Not surprisingly, the industry spends freely when it comes to lobbying:
an estimated $60 million between 1998-2004, according to The Center on Public Integrity. And
it appears to be paying off, yet again. The Hardrock Mining and Reclamation Act of 2007
would have finally overhauled the law and allowed American taxpayers to reap part of the
royalties (4 percent of gross revenue on existing mining operations and 8 percent on new ones).
The bill provided a revenue source to clean up abandoned hardrock mines, which is likely to
cost taxpayers over $50 million, and addressed health and safety concerns in the 11 affected
western states. Later it came to light that one of Obama’s key advisors in Nevada is a Nevada-
based lobbyist in the employ of various mining companies. (CBS News “Obama’s Position on
Mining Law Questioned. Democrat Shares Position with Mining Executives Who Employ
Lobbyist Advising Him,” November 14, 2007).NUCLEAR REGULATION: THE SENATOR FROM EXELON
(AKA TOM AYERS’ COMM EDISON)
Naturally, Obama’s deepest loyalties (if that is the word) go to the late Thomas Ayers of
Commonwealth Edison, now known as Exelon. Thomas Ayers is one of the principal figures who
lifted Obama up out of nothingness and made him. Not surprisingly, Obama has done yeoman
service for the Ayers interests:
The New York Times reported that, while campaigning in Iowa in December 2007, Obama
boasted that he had passed a bill requiring nuclear plants to promptly report radioactive leaks.
This came after residents of his home state of Illinois complained they were not told of leaks
that occurred at a nuclear plant operated by Exelon Corporation. The truth, however, was that
Obama allowed the bill to be amended in Committee by Senate Republicans, replacing
language mandating reporting with verbiage that merely offered guidance to regulators on how
to address unreported leaks. The story noted that even this version of Obama’s bill failed to pass
the Senate, so it was unclear why Obama was claiming to have passed the legislation. The
February 3, 2008 The New York Times article titled “Nuclear Leaks and Response Tested
Obama in Senate” by Mike McIntire also noted the opinion of one of Obama’s constituents,
which was hardly enthusiastic about Obama’s legislative efforts: “Senator Obama’s staff was
sending us copies of the bill to review, and we could see it weakening with each successive
draft,” said Joe Cosgrove, a park district director in Will County, Ill., where low-level
radioactive runoff had turned up in groundwater. “The teeth were just taken out of it.” As it
turns out, the New York Times story noted: “Since 2003, executives and employees of Exelon,
which is based in Illinois, have contributed at least $227,000 to Mr. Obama’s campaigns for the
United States Senate and for president. Two top Exelon officials, Frank M. Clark, executive
vice president, and John W. Rogers Jr., a director, are among his largest fund-raisers.” (Matt
Gonzalez, “The Obama Craze,” Counterpunch)