Which of the following are true about the General Mining Act of 1872? (There may be multiple answers.)

A. The General Mining Act also applies to fossil fuel extraction on federal lands.
B. One common criticism of the Act is that it allows the government to essentially give away valuable public resources to private companies.
C. This act is still the law that governs most mining on federally owned lands.
D. Mining companies only pay $5 per acre to patent a claim to mine on federal lands.

The General Mining Act of 1872 governs hard-rock mineral mining on federal lands, allowing private companies to obtain resources without paying royalties.

Explanation:

The General Mining Act of 1872 applies only to hard-rock minerals such as quartz, gold, silver, etc. It does not cover fossil fuel extraction. One criticism of the Act is that it allows private companies to acquire valuable public resources at a low cost, without paying royalties to the federal treasury. The Act currently governs mining on federally owned lands, with around 400,000 active mining claims.

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