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Legislative and Regulatory Update
April 2008 by Scott Harn
The Fish & Wildlife Service announced February 27 the delisting of the gray wolf as an imperiled species under the Endangered Species Act.
At press time, the delisting was scheduled to be effective March 27, 2008, though several environmental groups promised to seek an injunction to stop the process pending a lawsuit.
FWS reported that states have sufficient protections in place to protect the wolf.
• Miners need to be heard on wilderness bills
Several Congress members from Nevada are laying the foundation for new wilderness in Esmeralda, Lyon and Mineral Counties.
Senator Reid’s office stated their staff has been meeting with stakeholders regarding the various wilderness designations.
In addition, a pending energy bill includes 106,000 acres of Wilderness in the Wild Sky region of the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State (Senate Bill 2616). The wilderness designation is supported by Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) and Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash).
Miners are encouraged to contact their representatives in Congress to make sure their voices are heard and potential mining areas are considered for exclusion.
• HR 2016
HR 2016, a bill that would create a National Landscape Conservation system, passed out of committee and has moved to the full House for discussion and a possible vote.
The bill would subject 26 million acres of public lands, currently under the care and control of the Bureau of Land Management, to additional regulations.
It appears to be another attempt by environmental interests to place public lands off-limits to miners and other public land users, and would drastically expand the role of government in land use decisions.
The committee vote was mostly along party lines. Democrats voted for the bill and Republicans against it. Rob Wittman, a Republican from Virginia, was the lone exception and voted for the bill.
Please contact your state representatives in Congress to make your opinions known.
The Bawl Mill
• Just put it on our tab...
• Do you smell something?
• A voice from the past
Uphill Battle Continues for California Dredgers
There are currently three controlling agencies or entities over suction dredging in California—and you can make that four if the state legislature decides to further muddy the waters with additional legislation to block suction gold dredging in the state.
The Paradox Basin—Part II
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) was created soon after the war. One of their first deeds was to pass the Energy Act of 1946. This, among other things, provided monetary incentives for nearly every stage of mine development and operation.
Company Notes
• Washington Group Int'l
• Robinson Nevada Mining Co.
• Little Squaw Gold Mining Co.
• Newmont Mining Corp.
• Compania de Minas Buenaventura
Legislative and Regulatory Update
- Bill to limit Antiquities Act
- PLF seeks relief from Endangered Species Act abuses
National Mining Hall of Fame to Induct Five
Paul A. Bailly, Richard T. Moolick, William Braden, Alonzo Pawling and Henry Harnischfeger will be inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame for their contributions to mining.
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The Bawl Mill
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• Assembling A First Class Mining Property
• Quebec Tops Nevada in Survey of Miners
• Relocating A Historic Vein
• The Lost Silver Triangle of the Sierra Madre—Part I
• The Mama John
• Australia's First Gold Rush
• Government to Buy New World Mine Claims
• Melman on Gold & Silver
• Mining Stock Quotes and Mineral & Metal Prices
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