PLP and Mining Districts
PLP Update
January 2022 by Scott Harn
There has been some strong interest from miners in Oregon and Washington regarding the Public Lands for the People (PLP) reclamation dredging program that began in California in early 2021. A few Oregon miners have stepped forward to assist PLP in the effort to complete the research and documentation necessary.
The group that was assisting PLP and the Mining Journal to arrange meetings with influential agency heads and members of Congress is considering restarting in-person meetings in Washington, DC in late March or early April 2022.
We anticipate there will be a change in party leadership in possibly both the House and Senate following the November 2022 mid-term elections, and the leading polls indicate this is a very strong possibility. It would be very beneficial to begin meetings with members of Congress soon to reestablish the relationships we had prior to the Covid restrictions.
We were quite close to getting some major changes pushed through Congress to help miners of all shapes and sizes, with particular emphasis on the small, independent miner. Then along came a change in administration in the White House and a change in leadership in Congress. We are very anxious to get back there and finish what we started.
Miners Making the Rules and Regulations?
How would you like it if you could make the actual rules and regulations governing your own business? A dream, right? Well, the existing Federal Mining Law gives a claimholder this ability in the context of organized Mining Districts.
PLP To Address Needs Of Small Miners With Proposed Amendment
The Senator’s office was very receptive to the small miner’s plight and was unaware of the dire problems created by the over-regulation of small-scale mining from so many different fronts. It was pointed out that S 145 may help the large mining companies a little, but falls woefully short in addressing the needs of small operators who make up 85% of domestic mines.
MMAC Update
This is the third trip MMAC has made to DC this year, so some of the congressional staff members are gaining a better understanding of the current problems miners face and how MMAC-assisted Mining Districts can alleviate those problems.
PLP Update
PLP is also looking toward meeting with the incoming chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and it appears it will be Senator Barrasso (R-Wyoming).
PLP Update
Fight for Public Lands in the Eagle Mountains of the Mojave Desert
PLP Update: How to Restore The Rights of Suction Dredge Miners
A two-pronged approach is necessary to restore suction dredging; federal preemption needs to be established as addressed above via petition; and clarification from the EPA is needed to establish that no Section 402 permit is necessary when there is no “addition” of a pollutant.
Fight for Public Lands in the Eagle Mountains of the Mojave Desert
July 2023Fight for Public Lands in the Eagle Mountains of the Mojave Desert
By Greg Herring
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The Bawl Mill
• Ask The Experts - Geophysics or drilling? Which is best for this project?
• Ask The Experts - How closely are black sand and gold related?
• Why Is The Gold On Bedrock—Or Why Is It Not?
• Breaking Boulders With Explosives
• Colorado to California for Gold
• Historic Dredge Uncovered in North Carolina
• Setting Up A Placer Operation
• Grizzly Flats, California—Another Mother Lode Gold Rush Town
• Drywashing Without A Drywasher
• Late Fall Drywashing
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
