Proposal calls for eliminating ADMMR, cutting Mine Inspectors budget

A proposal to cut $1 billion out of the Arizona state budget includes eliminating the Arizona Dept. of Mines and Mineral Resources and moving its museum to the Arizona Historical Society, and cutting the State Mining Inspectors budget by 33%. The Arizona Geological Survey is not mentioned.

The recommendations are in a briefing paper issued by the Goldwater Institute think tank in Phoenix last month, but the Arizona Guardian online newspaper says the 30-page document "appears to be something of a budget-cutting blueprint for Republicans" getting ready for next weeks legislative session.

The report summaries for those two agencies are:

State Mine Inspector

Return funding to the FY 2007 level. Savings: $460,000
The mine inspector’s budget increased by 33 percent in just two years. This was partly in reaction to a single horrible tragedy. Efforts should be focused on locating abandoned mines.

Department of Mines and Mineral Resources

Eliminate the agency and consolidate the museum [right bottom] with the Arizona Historical Society. Savings: $500,000
Savings would roughly cut the current General Fund funding in half. The mining industry in Arizona can take care of itself. The museum can, along with other historical resources, be administered by a single agency.