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Legislative and Regulatory Update
July 2008 by Scott Harn
Lois Wolk, the California State Representative who previously introduced a bill to eliminate suction gold dredging in the state but was halted by Governor Schwarzenegger’s veto, is up to her old tricks.
Jerry Hobbs, president of Public Lands for the People (PLP), reported that Wolk attached a rider to the state budget bill. The rider would call for the state to conduct a two-year study of suction dredging and prohibit suction dredging during the study period.
Hobbs reported that his organization is looking at a couple of options to try and remove the rider. The New 49’ers prospecting club is also working on this issue.
The budget bill has already passed out of the Senate Budget Committee, but it will likely go through many rewrites because the state is looking at severe budget cuts.
• Travel Management Plans
Hobbs and PLP attorney David Young also attended several meetings regarding the Forest Service’s Travel Management Plan in the Eldorado National Forest.
As reported in last month’s issue, PLP filed an appeal along with a notice of intent to sue the Forest Service because of the Eldorado National Forest’s refusal to honor the 1872 Mining Law and access for mining when it decided to close off numerous historic routes across public lands.
Hobbs stated that the meetings went as expected—Forest Service officials were ignorant of the laws and rights pertaining to mining. He stated that at least one claimant has already been denied access to his mining claims. A lawsuit is forthcoming to force the Forest Service to recognize the rights of miners. Unfortunately these issues may need to be addressed with each National Forest as they release their individual Travel Management Plans.
Sunshine Mine is Up and Running Again
Sterling Mining Company has resumed initial production at the Sunshine Mine in Idaho. The company anticipates a steady increase in production over the next three years until an average daily processing rate of 1,000 tons per day is achieved.
Drywashing for Desert Gold—Part III
If the material drops down out of the hopper too fast, it can overwhelm the riffles and you can blow the gold right out. If it runs too slowly, the riffles can clog up and the process is too slow.
Melman on Gold & Silver
This past month certainly had its share of attention-grabbing headlines starting with the overwhelming wins by (presumed) Democratic Presidential Candidate John Kerry of Massachusetts. He effectively swept aside all opposition in a series of Democratic primary election wins from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
Moving The Big Rocks
The anticipation of finding out if the system of snatch blocks, shackles, chokers, anchor points, and the strap binding the massive slab of rock in the bottom of the river would even budge an inch was weighing on me.
Mining Stock Quotes, Mineral & Metal Prices
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The French Mines of El Boleo
Volumes have been written on the subject of mining in Mexico ever since the first Spanish conquistadors undertook to strip bare the newfound land in the 6th century. Gold and silver, which attracted Cortez and the Spanish Inquisition, was there for the taking, and the fabulously rich mines of Guanajuanto, San Miguel de Allende, Zacatecas, Real del Monte, San Luis Potosi, Durango and Taxco, among others, became famous throughout the New World and Europe.
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