October 21, 2001
Source: The New York Times
On October 21, 2001, The New York Times reported that "the Bush administration... reversed an 11th-hour Clinton administration ruling on mining policy, making it easier for companies to mine for gold, copper, zinc and lead on public lands. It also issued a legal opinion that could clear the way for a Nevada company to dig an open-pit gold mine in a part of the California desert considered sacred by a local Indian tribe."