Back to the resource library The Last American Dinosaur: The 1872 Mining Law March 24, 2000 Download The 1872 Mining Law is the last vestige of public resource giveaways originally enacted to encourage the settlement of the western U.S. See All Related Resources Earthworks 2024 Campaign Plan Remining for the Energy Transition Climate Impacts of Increasing U.S. Offshore Oil Export Capacity Earthworks 2023 Impact Report