PLP and Mining Districts
PLP Update
February 2020 by Scott Harn
After reviewing the Oregon suction dredging case we highlighted last issue, Eastern Oregon Mining Association v. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, Public Lands for the People has agreed to support the US Supreme Court appeal with financial assistance and with the filing of an amicus brief. (We here at the Mining Journal have also agreed to participate in the amicus brief.)
Pacific Legal Foundation believes the case has strong merits and has agreed to handle the bulk of the Supreme Court appeal without cost, but there will still be attorney costs associated with the filing of amicus briefs.
Planning is already underway for my next trip to DC in late March through early April with Clark Pearson of PLP. We’ll be focused on pushing through the changes necessary at the EPA to get suction gold dredgers back in the water. We will also meet with administrators at BLM and the Forest Service regarding regulatory relief to comply with President Trump’s recent Executive Orders.
In the meantime, the tradeshow season is starting. I’ll be down at the Quartzsite (Arizona) gold show February 7-9 along with PLP to provide some updates on what we’ve been doing. Or you can catch me at the GPAA show in Pomona (California) February 15-16 or at the Washington Prospectors Association gold show February 29 to March 1. (More info on these events is available in our Miners Calendar section.)
PLP Update
New Challenge Cards From Public Lands For The People
Mining Districts: A Short Review of Legal Authorities
Mining Districts are the private regulatory authority granted by Congress recognized to regulate the mineral lands held by the United States and for the disposal to citizens of the United States, by means of development and potentially perfected by patent.
PLP Update
Public Lands for the People has agreed to support the US Supreme Court appeal with financial assistance and with the filing of an amicus brief. (We here at the Mining Journal have also agreed to participate in the amicus brief.)
MMAC Update
If you are a claimholder and your Mining District is in disarray, it’s time to join MMAC and get on board so your district can benefit from these changes as they are implemented.
PLP Update
…I’ll be heading back to Washington, DC, on June 4 with Clark Pearson of PLP for nearly a week of meetings with the Mine Safety and Health Administration, US Forest Service, Environmental Protection Agency, and numerous members of Congress in both the House and Senate.
PLP Update
The changes we are seeking will most definitely help prospectors, small operations and dredgers. If you haven’t yet read our proposals, you’ll find a link to it at the end of the online version of this article.
PLP Update
PLP northern director Clark Pearson stated, “Thanks to the U.S. v. Hicks case, the courts have acknowledged that claimholders are owners of land within the National Forest who are exempt.”
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