There is little doubt that the General Mining Law of 1872 has withstood the test of time; today, the law remains a solid foundation for the development of mineral projects supported by a large and sophisticated group of lawyers, landmen (and women) and administrators. One could examine all modern mining codes in the past decade and, on a comparative basis, invariably find deficiencies that are not found in this stalwart piece of legislative drafting. Were it not for the age of the legislation, and certain pre-set value prescriptions for factors that are not particularly problematic in the law, the MineHutte score would be nearly perfect. That said, the law does not operate alone and, within the ocean of mine permitting approvals, it is easy for miners to find themselves beached on an island of destitution, particularly as a result of well-funded, NGO and other legal challenges aimed at preventing or forestalling development activities in a particular state. The perspective of those in support of development and those against are as polarized as the political views shared by supporters of the Tea Party movement and the Green Party.