Copper will no longer be an easy steal for thieves under a bipartisan bill just introduced by Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.).
The Copper Theft Prevention Act of 2008 is aimed at cutting down on copper theft, which has reached all-time highs due to worldwide economic growth and the high price of the metal, which has quadrupled in cost and, in some corners of the globe, is worth between $3 and $4 a pound.
Hatch said copper heists also are a problem in Utah. He said thieves recently used an Ogden metal yard's Caterpillar excavator to steal a 1,700-pound load of copper from the company and load it into a getaway truck. In Utah County, authorities recently apprehended a man who had been stealing copper from a construction company every week and selling it by the truckload for between $800 and $1,200.
"Sadly, copper is easily turned into cash and a very small percentage of thieves who steal it are ever caught," Hatch said. "That's why thieves – often methamphetamine addicts –have been stealing copper in every form and costing Americans hundreds of thousands of dollars in theft, damage and threats to safety. This bill will help put a stop to that."
"These thefts are happening all over," Klobuchar said. "The thieves are going after construction sites in the suburbs, utility lines in the countryside and anywhere they find a vacant house. This is not just property theft; it also can be a matter of life and death."
Just two weeks ago, Klobuchar noted, a vacant fourplex in Minneapolis exploded from a natural gas leak caused by stolen copper pipes. The blast rendered an adjacent duplex uninhabitable, resulting in the relocation of two families.
The Hatch-Klobuchar legislation would make it much tougher for thieves to sell stolen copper to scrap metal and other dealers.
Under The Copper Theft Prevention Act of 2008, scrap metal dealers would:
*Be required to keep records of copper transactions, including the name and address of the seller, the transaction date, the amount and description of the copper, and the number from the seller's driver's license or other government-issued ID card;
*Maintain these records for a minimum of one year and make them available to law enforcement agencies to assist them in tracking down and prosecuting copper thieves;
*Perform transactions of more than $250 by check instead of cash; and
*Impose civil penalties up to $10,000 for failing to document a transaction or for engaging in cash transactions of more than $250.
Hatch said the bill does not preclude States from enacting their own laws, but does establish a baseline from which all States must operate.
"I am committed to moving this legislation forward and encourage my colleagues to join our effort to refine and enact this important bill as it moves through the process," Hatch said.
Reps. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) are sponsoring a companion bill in the House.
